Join the campaign to pass AB 5: The California Homeless Persons' Bill of Rights and Fairness Act.

Letters of support needed for the California Homeless Bill of Rights (AB 5).

Thank you so much for your pledge to support the California Homeless Bill of Rights. If you are a California resident, please take a moment to send a letter of support to Assembly Member Ammiano's office. You may fax the letter to (916) 319-2117 or you may mail the letter to: Honorable Tom Ammiano, California State Assembly, State Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814. Please email a copy of your letter to Colleen Rivecca at crivecca [at] stanthonysf [dot] org

Here is a sample letter. Please feel free to use this wording or to tell your own story about why you support the bill.

Date _____

Honorable Tom Ammiano
California State Assembly
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814

Re: AB 5 (Support)

Dear Assemblymember Ammiano,

My name is [Your Name] and I am writing to express my support for AB 5 (Ammiano) which would protect people without homes from violations of their basic human rights and the people and organizations who serve them from penalties. AB 5 also resolves to reduce the impact of homelessness on communities and individuals by diverting investment from criminalization to stabilization efforts.

Throughout history, municipalities have used discriminatory laws to keep particular people out of public spaces and the public consciousness. With poverty and unemployment reaching record numbers in California, we have seen an increase in such laws, targeting mainly people without homes. According to research published by the Western Region Advocacy Project, the predominant "illegal offenses" that people without homes have been charged with as a result of these "quality of life" laws are sleeping, "loitering" or being present in a public space, sitting or lying down on public sidewalks, and "panhandling" or asking for help to secure basic human needs. The study also found that the majority of people without homes did not know of a safe place to sleep at night where they would not be arrested.

In 2012, Rhode Island passed the nation's first statewide Homeless Bill of Rights, a law that will allow them to prioritize solutions that are more humane, less expensive and more successful in reducing the impact of homelessness on communities and individuals. Currently, California has no unified state law that defines a statewide standard protecting basic civil rights of homeless Californians and guaranteeing that they have adequate counsel when charged with a crime for existing in a public space. The Homeless Bill of Rights seeks to stop this growing injustice in our state and identify more sustainable and humane responses to homelessness.

[Optional: Include a few sentences about why you care / your personal reasons for supporting the bill. ]

I support AB 5 and thank you for introducing this important legislation.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]
[Your address, or the California city where you live]

Assembly Bill 5, California's "Homeless Persons' Bill of Rights and Fairness Act", was introduced by Assemblymember Tom Ammiano today. For more information about the introduction of AB 5, follow this link: http://bit.ly/Uc3uss

Assembly member Tom Ammiano (D, San Francisco) is the author of the California Homeless Persons Bill of Rights and Fairness Act. The bill is co-sponsored by, Western Regional Advocacy Project, Western Center on Law and Poverty and JERICHO: A Voice for Justice. Here is a link to the bill text: http://bit.ly/Vio3Vw

This is the beginning of a long legislative process, and we are grateful for your support of this campaign. We'll be getting in touch to let you know about opportunities to support this bill as it moves through the Assembly, and hopefully through the Senate and on to the Governor's desk.

Thank you for your interest in passing a Homeless Bill of Rights in CA. Here is an update on the draft language for the California Homeless Bill of rights. This draft bill language comes from the outreach that we have conducted with homeless people.

Freedom from discrimination based on homeless status:
• In interactions with law enforcement, security guards, business owners, property managers, or BID agents.
• When seeking or maintaining employment.
• When seeking or maintaining housing or shelter.
• When seeking services (public benefits, medical care, help from police).
• In completing all necessary steps to vote.

Property rights:
• Freedom from unreasonable searches and/or seizures of personal property.

Access to public space:
• Freedom to use public spaces: to move freely through them, to use them for rest, to own and possess private property in public spaces, to share, accept, and/or give food in public spaces.

Right to safety:
• The right to the same protections that law enforcement agencies are supposed to afford to all other citizens, including the right to reasonable protection from domestic violence, sexual assault, hate crimes, and robberies.
• The right to make their own decisions regarding whether or not to enter into public or private shelters or social service programs.

Right to engage in life sustaining activities:
• The right to sufficient health and hygiene centers available 24 hours including bathrooms and showers.
• The right to sleep, stand, sit, possess personal property, eat, or other life-sustaining activities.
• The right to occupy vehicles while legally parked on public property.

Rights to privacy/confidentiality of housing status, poverty status, health status.
• The right to confidentiality of personal records regarding housing status, income level, mental illness, physical disability.

Right to counsel:
• The right to quality defense counsel in criminal hearings and civil warrants, when possible punishment might include jail time or commitment to a public health institution.

Rights of homeless schoolchildren:
• Counties and municipalities must adhere to the Federal law so homeless children can remain in the same school that they had attended before becoming homeless or immediate enrollment in a new school.

Enforcement:
• Monitor enforcement of local ordinances affecting homeless people by ensuring that information regarding the citation of homeless people by law enforcement be available to homeless people and their advocates.

Other rights:
• The right to restitution if the victim of a crime.
• The right to restitution for loss of, damage to, or destroyed property and/or personal belongings.
• The right to purchase goods and services.

The bill also establishes the following goals:

Right to shelter:
• Right to shelter 24/7 for all people.
• All shelter shall be sanitary and safe.

Right to basic services, income, and to perform life-sustaining activities:
• The right to safe, decent, permanent affordable housing.
• The right to income.
• The right to access medical facilities and quality healthcare.

Rights of homeless schoolchildren:
• The right to be provided the supplies necessary for academic success (backpacks, textbooks, notebooks, pencils, pens, and appropriate academic technology).

Definition of Homelessness:
This bill creates a state standard that defines homeless as "those individuals or families who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence and who have a primary nighttime residence in a shelter, on the street, in a vehicle, in an enclosure or structure that is not authorized or fit for human habitation, doubled up temporarily with friends or families, or staying in transitional housing programs. This includes anyone staying in residential hotels without tenancy rights, and families with children staying in residential hotels whether or not they have tenancy rights".