Las Vegas to vote on a public sleeping ban
Would it hurt or help the homeless crisis? Las Vegas Mayor Pro Tem Michele Fiore reacts.
Las Vegas Mayor Pro Tem Michele Fiore said Wednesday that the city's proposed ban on sleeping in public is for safety, health, and sanitation purposes, not to "criminalize" homeless people.
“Criminalizing [the] homeless is not what we’re doing. We’re looking at making sure that people get the help that they need and the space that they need to stay in,” Fiore told, “Fox & Friends First.”
She said that the proposed ordinance will not be enforced if there is no space or available beds for people sleeping on the street.
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As the nation has continued to grapple with homelessness, officials in Nevada have aimed to curb the number of people living on the streets with a controversial ordinance drawing backlash from activists claiming it will have the exact opposite effect.
Under the ordinance proposed by Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman, sleeping in public spaces in downtown or residential areas would be a misdemeanor if a bed is available at a nearby shelter – punishable with a fine of up to $1,000 or jail time of up to six months.
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“This new ordinance was designed to help direct people to the city’s Courtyard Homeless Resource Center and other existing nonprofit services to connect those in need and help break the cycle of homelessness,” Goodman, a Democrat, said in a statement to Fox News. “The city believes the ordinance will be a benefit to the homeless population, while at the same time protecting the health and safety of the entire community.”
Activists have said threatening tickets and jail time to force people off the streets won’t address the root of the problem – the lack of affordable housing.
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Nevada has the third-highest rate of unsheltered people experiencing homelessness in the country, behind California and Oregon. Out of the roughly 7,544 homeless in Nevada, more than 4,000 are unsheltered, according to 2018 HUD statistics.
“You just can’t camp on public or private property, especially if there’s space for you to go and sleep and have a space to come to,” Fiore said, arguing many other cities have similar ordinances.
She said officers will give warnings for the first 90 days and the city will provide transportation if beds are available in its facilities.
Fox News’ Benjamin Brown contributed to this report.
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