BREAKING NEWS: The Louisiana Senate just passed one of the cruelest anti-homeless bills in the country. HB 211 would force unhoused people to choose between jail or involuntary treatment—and make them pay for it. If they can't pay, they would be forced to perform unpaid labor. The bill evokes Louisiana's long history—and present—of entrenched white supremacy. Just a few hours earlier in the the hearing, Louisiana lawmakers voted to give themselves $1,000 to cover certain housing expenses in recognition that housing is too expensive. Let’s be clear: lawmakers think they should get support from the state if they can't afford housing, but their own homeless constituents should be arrested, jailed, and punished. It doesn’t have to be this way. The safest communities are those with the resources—like affordable housing and healthcare—to help their residents thrive. Making it a crime to sleep outside only traps people further into the cycle of poverty. The only real solution to homelessness is making sure everyone has the housing and supportive services they need. We need housing, not handcuffs. If you live in Louisiana, contact your House member to block this unfunded mandate from becoming law before it is too late: https://lafairhousing.salsalabs.org/homeslessnessnotacrime/index.html?utm_campaign=feed&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=later-linkinbio