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1 - Homelessness, Vagrancy Laws, and Municipal Ordinances

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 November 2024

Terry Skolnik
Terry Skolnik
Affiliation:
University of Ottawa
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Summary

This chapter provides an overview of homelessness in the United States and Canada. It discusses the risk factors associated with homelessness. It explains how vagrancy laws historically regulated unhoused persons. These laws were struck down following the rise of the void for vagueness doctrine. This chapter discusses how local governments enacted narrowly tailored municipal ordinances that governed unhoused persons and public property, which withstood void for vagueness challenges.

Keywords

Homelessnessmunicipal ordinancesvagrancyrisk factorsBroken Window Theory
Type
Chapter
Information
Homelessness, Liberty and Property , pp. 23 - 39
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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