Charlotte’s leaders don’t seem committed to doing what’s needed to end homelessness | Opinion

The U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld an Oregon city’s ban against homeless people camping in public spaces, essentially allowing the City of Grants Pass to criminalize someone for sleeping outside — even if there were no alternatives.

As someone who has been unhoused in the past and now works to help secure housing for vulnerable populations, this decision felt like a gut punch.

There are over 3,000 people living on the streets of Charlotte — 80% of whom are Black individuals or families. There were more than 5,000 homeless students in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools this past school year. Being unhoused is hard enough.

In her dissent in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson , Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor said confronting the homelessness crisis is not the work of one individual or governmental body, but “is shared by those vulnerable populations, the states and cities in which they reside, and each and every one of us.”

I worry that our leaders in Charlotte are not fully committed to taking on their share of that work.

Charlotte is no stranger to laws that criminalize the behavior of unhoused people. Last February, the Charlotte City Council approved ordinances which criminalize “standing, sitting or lying” on a public street or park as a misdemeanor. I spoke out about the ordinances then, as did many others. As if trying to soften the blow of their vote, many council members promised that Charlotte would continue to invest time and money to root out the causes of homelessness.

Just three days before the Grants Pass decision, the Charlotte council approved spending $650 million in public money to renovate Bank of America Stadium as part of a deal to keep the Carolina Panthers here through 2045. While this renovation will be funded through a tourism dollars, I wonder how the city’s interest in tourism can be successful, and moral, if it does not more aggressively address the housing crisis. How can we expect to bring people to our city if we cannot help those who are already here and in need?

Supporters of the council’s decision argue that keeping the Panthers will help ensure that Charlotte remains a world-class city. I disagree. As someone who has experienced poverty, housing instability and returning to my community after incarceration, I believe in the saying that “the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members” — not how it treats its billionaire-owned sports teams.

Charlotte still has an opportunity to take on its share of the work. The city can join with community organizers and advocates to actually share the responsibility of keeping Charlotte residents safe while addressing the root causes of homelessness.

Ending homelessness will require a coordinated approach between elected officials and those closest to the issues. Together, we can develop compassionate policies treating homelessness as the public health crisis it is. We can coordinate food, housing and educational resources, training and protection for other residents and businesses.

We should set aside funds for CMS students experiencing homelessness or enrolled in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act . We should also prevent landlords from requiring that people earn two to three times the rent for rental properties, which keeps people on the streets longer. To help those trying to get into housing, rental properties and landlords should only consider rental history, rather than credit history, when they screen renters.

These are a few items that would show a real willingness from our elected leaders to take up their share of the work to end the housing crisis. I urge the city council to double-down on its responsibility to confront homelessness.

As Justice Sotomayor said, we share this work and this burden. Together, we can make our city better for everyone. But we cannot do that if one powerful group shrugs off its responsibility. Charlotte’s City Council must decide: Will members roll up their sleeves and work alongside us, or will council continue to focus on profits over people?

Kenny Robinson is executive director of Freedom Fighting Ministries, a nonprofit that works to help formerly incarcerated and unhoused individuals in the Charlotte area.