By Pam Fessler
NPR
Work crews in Honolulu recently dismantled wooden shacks and tents that lined city streets and housed almost 300 people.
It was the latest example of a city trying to deal with a growing homeless population, and responding to complaints that these encampments are unsafe, unsanitary and, at the very least, unsightly.
Last month, Madison, Wis., banned people from sleeping outside city hall. And in New Port Richey, Fla., the city council voted to restrict the feeding of homeless individuals in a popular park.
“We received complaints from the regular users of the park who felt that it was intimidating or they were leaving behind a mess, which was true,” says City Manager Debbie Manns. “We had to clean that up.”
Other cities have passed similar laws with increasing frequency in recent years — restricting outdoor sleeping, begging and other activities linked to homelessness — according to the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty.
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