Myths and Reality of Homelessness

Move along to where?
survival should not be criminalized.
Making it a crime to sleep with cover in public has serious consequences on the health and safety of homeless people. These laws make already vulnerable people less healthy and less safe.
Five effects on
Health and Safety

486 people experiencing homelessness in Denver were surveyed. Read the findings.read more Seven myths of
Homelessness

Homelessness is not a choice. See these common misconceptions refuted.read more Four things about
Criminalization

Criminalizing survival of homeless people is unconstitutional. Find out why.read more

Five Effects of Criminalization on Health and Safety

  1. Sleep Deprivation
    Respondents who are frequently woken by police typically sleep only in short bursts: 49% report 2 hours or less of uninterrupted sleep.
  2. Pushed to Less Safe Places
    87% of respondents seek different sleeping locations to avoid police contact; Half have sought more hidden and isolated locations.
  3. Harm to Physical Health
    Among those instructed by police to quit using shelter from the elements, there is a 71% higher rate of frostbite, a 39% higher rate of dehydration, and twice the rate of heat stroke.
  4. Harm to Mental Health
    65% of respondents report that they are constantly stressed and anxious about the possibility of police contact.
  5. Streets Often Better than Shelters
    The average perception of shelter conditions was between “very unhappy” and “mostly dissatisfied.”






“The Police have made sleeping in a safe place unavailable. I’m now moving camp every day. I’m in constant movement.”

Sleep Deprivation

Constant move on orders by police enforcing camping ban laws lead to serious sleep deprivation – making life even harder for homeless people.

Respondents who are frequently woken by police typically sleep only in short bursts: 49% report 2 hours or less of uninterrupted sleep.

Poor sleeping habits, exacerbated by constant police interruption of sleep, leads to increased rates of depression, forgetfulness, sickness, anger, and hallucinations.

The data is clear: police contact, and the fear of police contact, substantially undermines the sleeping-related health of Denver’s homeless residents.

Pushed to Less Safe Places

Camping ban enforcement forces already vulnerable homeless people into less safe areas where they are more likely to be assaulted, robbed, and abused.

Both male and female respondents who have found more hidden sleeping locations report increased rates of robbery, physical violence and sexual assault.

Women who have found more hidden sleeping locations report a 50% higher rate of robbery, a 60% higher rate of sexual assault, and more than 3 times the rate of physical assault.

Denver police data show that the number of the number of crimes against homeless people—quite often physical assaults—increased for four straight years from 2013-2017—rising 42% over that period, to reach 1,008 crimes in 2017.

Harm to Physical Health

Forcing people who have to sleep outside to not use protection from the elements leads to frostbite, hypothermia, and greater sickness.

Among all those who have been instructed by police to quit using shelter from the elements, there is a 71% higher rate of frostbite, a 39% higher rate of dehydration, and twice the rate of heat stroke.

52% OF RESPONDENTS STATED THAT THEY HAD SOMETIMES CHOSEN NOT TO USE SHELTER, SUCH AS A BLANKET OR TARP, DUE TO FEAR OF BEING CONTACT BY LAW ENFORCEMENT.

Harm to Mental Health

Continual police orders to move along with nowhere to go leads to massive stress and mental instability.

65% of respondents report that they are constantly stressed and anxious about the possibility of police contact.

Respondents who stated that they were contacted many times by the police in the last year were 57% more likely to self-assess their mental health as worsening, when compared to respondents who were contacted rarely or never by the police.

Streets Often Better than Shelters

Living in shelters has its own set of serious health and safety issues. Staying in close quarters with large numbers of people can often be less healthy and less safe than staying on the streets.

The average perception of shelter conditions was between “very unhappy” and “Mostly dissatisfied.”

Seven Myths of Homelessness

  1. Addiction is a lead cause of homelessness.
    Only 28% of homeless people in Denver have a substance use or abuse issue.[1] 100% of homeless people have a housing accessibility problem. Rent keeps raising and incomes stay stagnant. Government funding for low-income housing has all but disappeared.[2]
  2. They’re lazy and should get a job
    60% of homeless people are working or have income through disability or SSI.[1] A full-time minimum-wage-earning Colorado worker makes $1,316.80 per month before taxes. The average rent for a one bedroom apartment in Denver is $1,400.00.[2] The math doesn’t add up – working homeless people can’t even afford rent.
  3. It’s a lifestyle choice
    Insufficient income and lack of affordable housing are the leading causes of homelessness.[1] In Denver, out of 250 individuals offered housing in Denver’s “housing first” model, only one individual refused housing. Pretty clear most people don’t want to be homeless. Additionally, 37% of the homeless population has a disability.[2] 21% are over age 55.[3] Inability to pay medical bills is a major contributor to homelessness.[4]
  4. Denver has adequate shelter beds
    Denver has at least 3,445 homeless people and fewer than 2,000 shelter spaces.[1] The math doesn’t add up. Furthermore, shelters are not viable options for many homeless people due to work hours, having a partner, pet, or property larger than allowed, mental health concerns, and much more.[2]
  5. Camping ban helps connect people with services
    Out of 4,647 police contacts for homeless people violating camping ban in 2017, no more than a handful moved into a shelter much less got housing.[1] Outreach workers testify to how these laws make it harder for them to do their job finding homeless people and connecting them to services. Only 3-4% of homeless people in two surveys said an outreach worker had connected them with services as a result police contact for the camping ban.[2]
  6. Denver will be a disaster like LA, Portland, Seattle
    Each of these cities do actually have a camping ban and other laws against resting in public.[1] Criminalization of homelessness is nationwide. Courts have ruled these laws unconstitutional in their district, forcing them to step back on enforcement, however that has not stopped them from violating constitutional rights in continuing to enforce these laws in sweeps. What is clear nationwide is that criminalizing homelessness does not end homelessness.
  7. The camping ban isn’t enforced
    In 2017 alone, police enforced the camping ban through move on orders, written warnings, and tickets at least 4,647 times.[1] It is illegal in Denver to use a blanket in a snowstorm.[2]
“Of course it’s worse now that people can’t stay in central areas, where it’s lit and safe. There really aren’t places for all these people to go, so we are hiding. And we are more alone. And that’s bad. People try hard to find ways to protect themselves. But there are always predators who try to use and abuse and assault people who are living marginally. We still have people who will go out and mistreat people who are disabled, who are mentally ill, who have any kind of problem who look like they can’t take care of themselves… So is it better? NO. We are more vulnerable, and things are worse. People are more likely to try to hurt you if they think you are alone and you are vulnerable. And in Denver it’s a lot harder to find a place of sanctuary now.”

Homelessness is not a Crime

  • Enforcement
    The Denver Camping Ban is enforced on a daily basis. Police force homeless people lying down and using cover to “move along” at all hours of the day and night. But since there is no where to legally “move along to” homeless people simply move to another block, a hidden alley, far by the river, etc.[1]
  • The U.S. Constitution
    The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in the case of Martin v. Boise, that prosecuting or otherwise punishing homeless people for sleeping on the street if they have nowhere else to go qualifies as “cruel and unusual punishment” and is unconstitutional.[2]

    Many other cases have ruled that laws against sleeping, sharing food, sleeping in one’s vehicle, and seizing homeless people’s property in sweeps are unconstitutional.