State Assembly Approves Bill That Would Withhold Funds for State Homeless Services Unless They Meet Certain Benchmarks

Thursday, February 22nd, 2024 -- 12:00 PM

(Anya van Wagtendonk, Wisconsin Public Radio) The state Assembly approved a bill that would withhold funds for state homeless services unless they meet certain benchmarks and criminalize sleeping on public property unless it has been designated as a temporary campground.

According to Anya van Wagtendonk with Wisconsin Public Radio, the bill would withhold portions of state grants aimed at fighting homelessness contingent on performance outcomes.

Grant recipients would have to demonstrate that they have increased the number of homeless people who have found housing and work, and decreased return to homelessness after participation.

It would also create a criminal penalty for people living outdoors on public property unless the state Department of Administration has designated it a “structured camping facility.”

Those facilities would have to offer water and sanitary facilities, and mandatory mental health and substance abuse screenings, although the bill does not designate funding to create those programs or services.

People who sleep in non-designated public places could be subject to a $500 fine or 30 days in jail, unless “the person has no other reasonable options or would be denied admission to a homeless shelter due to its being at capacity.”

Republicans argued the bill will increase accountability for public programs that seek to address homelessness, and it will move homeless people into safer spaces. Democrats called the proposal cruel and said it would do nothing to alleviate homelessness.

Rather, they argued, it would criminalize homelessness and force people with limited means into a cycle of fines and incarceration. The plan passed 60-39, with four Republicans joining all Democrats in voting against it.

The bill is opposed by anti-poverty groups and public health groups, the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, the ACLU, the City of Milwaukee and Dane County, among other groups. It is supported by Cicero Action, a Texas-based group that drafted the model legislation upon which this bill was based.

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