The only real solution to homelessness is housing, not handcuffs!
- cwcwomaha
- Sep 23, 2025
- 3 min read
OMAHA CITY COUNCIL DO NOT CRIMINALIZE THE HOMELESS
September 20, 2025
TO: District 1: Pete Festersen| pete.festersen@cityofomaha.org
District 2: LaVonya Goodwin | lavonya.goodwin@cityofomaha.org
District 3: Danny Begley, President: danny.begley@cityofomaha.org
District 4: Ron Hug | ron.hug@cityofomaha.org
District 5: Don Rowe | don.rowe@cityofomaha.org
District 6: Brinker Harding, Vice President | brinker.harding@cityofomaha.org
District 7: Aimee Melton | aimee.melton@cityofomaha.org
Elizabeth Butler: Omaha City Clerk| cityclerk@cityofomaha.org
RE: Item 50 ORD. 44395, – An ordinance to add Sections 20-165, 20-165.01, 20-165.02, 20-165.03, and 20-165.04 entitled “Unauthorized Encampments on Public Property” to Chapter 20 of the Omaha Municipal Code;
Dear Omaha City Council Members,
HOMELESSNESS should not be CRIMINALIZED!
As a concerned citizen, and community advocate for homelessness I urge you to table the ordinance scheduled to be on the Omaha City Council agenda for September 23, 2025. I kindly request you as our elected officials to go back to the drawing board and come up with a better solution to the problem of “homelessness” in our great city of Omaha Nebraska. According to Forbes in 2024, Omaha is the number one place to move to.
Granted we have a homelessness problem in Omaha, and many of your constituents/residents agree that things have to change, but the majority do not feel it is right to criminalize homeless individuals and families with jail time. Please be aware Omaha City Council representatives there is no empirical evidence that criminalizing actions associated with homelessness, such as sleeping in public, reduces its occurrence, instead it (criminalization) creates further barriers to services and stability for people in need.
Criminalizing homelessness is an ineffective and harmful policy because it does not address the root causes of homelessness, such as a lack of affordable housing, instead of solving the problem, these policies worsen it by increasing arrests, creating more complex pathways into poverty, and perpetuating the cycle of homelessness. Leading to a net welfare loss for communities and diverting valuable resources away from effective housing solutions.
Research shows that punitive measures lead to increased arrests, deeper entanglement with the criminal justice system, and lasting negative impacts on vulnerable individuals, inflicting serious harm on individuals by causing displacement, anxiety, and increased suffering. At the same time, wasting taxpayer resources. Criminalizing homelessness is costly and inefficient. Criminalization efforts lead to a net welfare loss for communities and divert valuable resources away from effective housing solutions.
Experts and organizations advocate solutions like increasing affordable housing, expanding supportive services, and implementing diversion programs as effective alternatives to address the homelessness crisis. Creating and expanding community partnerships that offer wraparound services, including mental health and addiction support, is a proven strategy.
Policies that prioritize housing-based approaches and diversion programs provide better, more cost-effective outcomes than punishment. Measures like the "Housing Not Handcuffs Act" ( H.R.4182 - Housing not Handcuffs Act of 2025) aim to shift federal attention away from penalizing people experiencing homelessness and toward constructive solutions.
The Alliance’s Homelessness Research Institute (https://endhomelessness.org/about-us/research/) summarizes the conclusions of nearly 100 studies on the topic. Advocates, policymakers, and everyday Americans should use this research to push back on local efforts to criminalize homelessness and inform effective and humane solutions instead.
Please do not support, ORD. 44395 – An ordinance to add Sections 20-165, 20-165.01, 20-165.02, 20-165.03, and 20-165.04 entitled “Unauthorized Encampments on Public Property” to Chapter 20 of the Omaha Municipal Code.
Omaha can do better. Investing in supportive services, affordable housing initiatives, and comprehensive outreach programs has proven to be more effective at reducing homelessness and promoting community well-being. By focusing on evidence-based strategies, Omaha can create lasting change that benefits both unhoused individuals and the broader community.
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