Each night, approximately 580 000 people in the US experience homelessness; 40% do so in unsheltered settings (eg, encampments, vehicles, abandoned buildings). Black, Indigenous, and Latinx Americans are impacted disproportionately. Many people experiencing homelessness eschew shelter due to concerns about restrictive rules, safety and privacy, and the inability to keep belongings, pets, and partners. In many regions, there are long wait lists for shelters. Despite this, in response to concerns about people living in public spaces, government employees conduct involuntary displacement of homeless encampments in which they forcibly move those living in encampments, throw out belongings, and arrest those who refuse. Although displacements may involve offers of shelter or, less commonly, housing, most result in scattering to other unsheltered places. Local governments justify forced displacements based on concerns about health and safety, complaints of housed residents, and the need to enforce laws against sleeping in public. Occasionally, involuntary displacements garner significant media attention and protest, as happened with the recent displacement of residents of McPherson Square in Washington, DC. However, more often they occur without interest or attention.
Source: JAMA Online First