Good afternoon Housing Not Handcuffs supporters,

While the Trump administration attempts to sow division and chaos throughout the country, we are witnessing the power communities have when we come together to protect our unhoused neighbors. In the past month, organizers have stopped a billionaire-backed bill that would make homelessness worse in Iowa and slowed the implementation of a bill in Freemont, California that made it a crime to help people forced to live outside.

New bills that will make homelessness worse  

Unfortunately, with state legislative sessions in full swing, we’re also seeing a whirlwind of new bills in Montana, Iowa, Tennessee, Washington and Mississippi, attempting to criminalize homelessness, many of which are backed by the Cicero Institute, a far right think tank with close ties to Trump and Musk. Learn more about these bills with our threat tracking map. 

New Maps: Defeated Bills and Positive Policies 

It’s more important than ever to stay grounded in our vision for a better world, where all people have the housing and support needed to thrive. With that in mind, we’ve added two new maps to our criminalization tracking page: Defeated Bills, which highlights defeated bills from past sessions, and Positive Policies, which highlight bills that stop, prevent, or hinder efforts to criminalize homelessness.
View Our New & Updated Maps
Past Defeated Bills
Positive Policies

Alarming new laws to force homeless people out of cities  

We’ve seen an alarming trend in cookie-cutter bills designed to force unhoused people out of cities. Started in Texas with the help of the billionaire-backed Cicero Institute, these bills have now spread to Oklahoma and Idaho. Let’s be clear: these bills will make it easier for cities and states to force homeless people into remote detention camps, a plan supported by Donald Trump. The only real solution to homelessness is making sure everyone has the housing and support needed to thrive.
 

Last year's Housing Not Handcuffs Rally, 4/22/24

SAVE THE DATE: April 22nd

April 22nd marks one year since the Supreme Court heard the case of Johnson v. Grants Pass. In response to this disastrous decision, over 150 cities have passed laws that make it illegal to be homeless. Last April 22nd, thousands of people in DC and across the country came together to let SCOTUS know that the solution to homelessness is HOUSING, NOT HANDCUFFS. 

Join us in DC and nationwide on April 22nd to show that we are still fighting to protect the rights of our unhoused neighbors. Stay tuned for more details. We hope to see you on the 22nd! 
RSVP to April 22nd

The movement to end homelessness needs YOU to help us FIGHT BACK! 

The news is bleak. Unhoused people are under attack. More people struggle to make ends meet. Instead of helping, politicians are passing laws to make homelessness worse. But we know that action is a strong antidote to despair. If you are feeling hopeless, we invite you to join us and fight back!
Support the Fight Back Fund

Onward,

Housing Not Handcuffs
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