The Failure of Sit-Lie

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By Colleen Rivecca, HANC Board

In May, a group of recent college graduates participating in the City Hall Fellows program, a fellowship program that connects recent college graduates with city government to study social problems, released a report on the implementation of San Francisco’s sit/lie law. On August 15, the Fellows presented their report to the Haight community. The report showed that Park Station is citing more people for sit/lie than any other police station in the City, that the people who receive citations are not receiving useful referrals to services and that the City is not tracking whether sit/lie-related interactions with SFPD is actually directing people to services, and that SFPD and the City are not accurately tracking the number of sit/lie citations issued by SFPD.

As the Policy and Advocacy Coordinator at Homeless Youth Alliance (HYA), I have some opinions on sit/lie that I’d like to share with the Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council.

  • Sitting and lying should not be considered criminal behavior. The appropriate response to street homelessness is the provision of culturally appropriate outreach and connection with appropriate services. This is the only response that will result in a decrease in street homelessness.
  • Criminalization policies targeted at the behavior of homeless people have not, are not, and will never be an effective tool for solving homelessness.
  • The criminal justice system is not an appropriate vehicle for delivering services and support to people without homes.
  • City resources would be better spent in strengthening the service system (substance abuse treatment, harm reduction, mental health treatment, peer-based outreach, safe supportive housing) for homeless youth than on the enforcement of homeless criminalization policies like sit/lie.
  • At HYA, we know how to end homelessness among our youth. Peer-based services delivered by culturally-competent outreach workers help to engage our participants, often regarded as the most “difficult to serve” of the homeless youth in San Francisco, connecting them with vital housing, counseling, mental health, and drug treatment services. Access to these vital services is what helps end homelessness among our participants.

    • Some Suggestions

    So, what are some constructive ideas for reducing homelessness in our community? I’d like to offer some suggestions that, unlike sit/lie, are targeted towards providing the services that homeless people need rather than criminalizing the behavior that is a side-effect of homelessness and poverty.