- More cities are making it illegal to hand out food to the homeless, By Eliza Barclay, October 22, 2014, National Public Radio: “If you don’t have a place to live, getting enough to eat clearly may be a struggle. And since homelessness in the U.S. isn’t going away and is even rising in some cities, more charitable groups and individuals have been stepping up the past few years to share food with these vulnerable folks in their communities. But just as more people reach out to help, cities are biting back at those hands feeding the homeless. According to a report released Monday by the National Coalition for the Homeless, 21 cities have passed measures aimed at restricting the people who feed the homeless since January 2013. In that same time, similar legislation was introduced in more than 10 cities. Combined, these measures represent a 47 percent increase in the number of cities that have passed or introduced legislation to restrict food sharing since the coalition last counted in 2010…”
- Fort Lauderdale latest city to restrict feeding homeless, By Elizabeth Chuck, October 22, 2014, NBC News: “Fort Lauderdale, Florida, approved restrictions overnight on churches and other charitable organizations that feed the homeless, becoming the latest city to impose limits on meals offered by private groups in public places. The regulations require groups handing out food to homeless to be at least 500 feet away from residential properties. They limit feeding sites for homeless to one in any given city block, and prevent feeding sites from being within 500 feet of each other. It’s the fourth law Fort Lauderdale has passed this year concerning the homeless, according to the Sun Sentinel. The others ban the homeless from asking for money at busy intersections, and make it illegal to sleep and store belongings on public property…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty