The man who started the suit against New York City now avoids contact with service workers, fearful of being arrested again. He never sleeps in the same place twice. Homeless people are less likely to seek help and shelter if they think they may get harassed or arrested. This can lead to more deaths or destructive behavior. These policies make it difficult for poor and homeless people to find and hold jobs.
Employers are reluctant to hire poor and homeless people when they have a criminal record.
And in the meantime, these policies also feed negative public opinion, distracting it away from positive, long-term solutions and focusing it on the people themselves, not their condition. In addition to legal challenges like the lawsuits already mentioned, many activists and legislators are also working to reverse the trend of harmful, discriminatroy policies. The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty is an activist organization that documents legal abuses and aids homeless defendants and plaintiffs. In a 1997 case, a creative settlement agreement was reached in which the city of Miami agreed to implement a training program to ensure that police do not violate the rights of homeless people or destroy their property. An advisory committee was created to monitor police contact with the homeless, and monetary compensation was provided to the plaintiffs.