June 5, 2025 - NM Symposium on Health

The Roles of Local Governments in the Lives of People Experiencing Homelessness

"Local governments are tasked with two opposing roles in the lives of people experiencing homelessness. While cities and counties often provide emergency shelter, manage funding for social services that serve people experiencing homelessness, and organize other resources aimed at improving the conditions of those living on the streets, these governments are also tasked with enforcing laws that target certain behaviors that result from homelessness or conducting routine encampment closures known as “sweeps” that negate any progress campers were making to regain housing. These two functions of municipalities function as an abuse cycle between people who have no choice but to interact with government services to survive while simultaneously experiencing persecution from other departments of the same government.    

This presentation will provide an overview of the ways in which certain practices can be harmful to people experiencing homelessness, offer alternative measures that assist in rehousing efforts rather than prolong homelessness, and include a question-and-answer period where the audience are encouraged to ask about problems facing their local government in interactions with people experiencing homelessness."