Encampments
Homeless encampments are highly visible and troubling reminders of the housing crisis in our country. Encampments occur because there is a pervasive lack of affordable, permanent housing in our communities.
The National Health Care for the Homeless Council fundamentally disagrees with policies that create homelessness and advocates for public policies that both reduce the health and safety risks for those living in encampments and prevent and end homelessness through long-term solutions.
NHCHC Encampment Resources
Press Release: Study Shows Involuntary Displacement May Cause Significant Spikes in Mortality, Overdoses and Hospitalizations | April 2023
The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a study that shows encampment sweeps, bans, move-along orders and cleanups that forcibly relocate individuals away from essential services will lead to substantial increases in overdose deaths, hospitalizations, and life-threatening infections as well as hinder access to medications for opioid use disorder (along with other detrimental impacts).
Issue Brief: Impact of Encampment Sweeps on People Experiencing Homelessness | December 2022
Sweeps do not end homelessness. Grassroots leaders and direct service providers understand that encampment sweeps cause four general problems:
Each of these problems presents significant challenges to those directly impacted by forced displacement and the service providers who care for them.
Read our statement on the Roles of the HCH Community | April 2018
More on Encampments from our National Partners
Policing- and punishment-based approaches: A really expensive way to make homelessness worse | September 2021
This statement from the National Coalition for Housing Justice, to which the NHCHC is a party, describes how the criminalization of unsheltered homelessness and encampments harms everyone and wastes money.
Martin V Boise: What Does it Mean for Communities? | September 2018
This info-graphic from the Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty provides guidance for localities regarding the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in Idaho that affirmed the state may not “criminalize conduct that is unavoidable consequence of being homeless- namely sitting, lying, or sleeping in the street”
Caution is Needed When Considering “Sanctioned Encampments” or “Safe Zones” | May 2018
This report from the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness highlights cautions that should be considered before sanctioning or regulating encampments.
It Takes a Village: Practical Guide for Authorized Encampments | May 2018
This guide, written by Evanie Parr, Seattle University Homeless Rights Advocacy Project, summarizes the challenges and opportunities posed by various encampments along the West Coast.
Tent City USA: The Growth of America’s Homeless Encampments and How Communities are Responding | December 2017
The report from the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty reviews the rapid growth of homeless people living in tents across the United States over the past decade, as measured by documentation in media reports.
Case Studies: Ending Homelessness for People Living in Encampments | August 2017
This case study from the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness checks in on several communities to learn about their ongoing efforts to refine and strengthen strategies for addressing the needs of people living in encampments.
Ending Homelessness For People Living in in Encampments: Advancing the Dialogue | August 2015
This report from the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness is designed to assist communities in developing an action plan that will link people experiencing homelessness and living in an encampment, with permanent housing opportunities.
State and Local Resources
Please submit resources to rreed@nhchc.org.
Forced encampment closures: They don’t work and they do harm | January 2018
Baltimore’s Health Care for the Homeless’ position statement on forced enclosure of encampments, released amidst a round of forced encampment enclosures in Baltimore city.
Sanctioned Homeless Encampments Initial Planning and Management Checklists | March 2018
Public Health Department for Seattle & King County checklists to be used in the initial planning and ongoing management of sanctioned homeless encampment sites.