PROBLEM STATEMENTS:

(a) This is not the American way, especially in the State of Tennessee. We should be treating our sisters and brothers with love and dignity instead of criminalization.

(b) Tennessee criminalizes homelessness with some of the strictest anti-camping laws in the United States. In 2022, the state made sleeping or camping on public property a felony. Punishments can include up to six years in prison, a $3,000 fine, and the loss of voting rights.

(c) Felony Arrests: Police frequently arrest unhoused individuals simply for seeking shelter under park pavilions or on highway overpasses during harsh weather.

• Sanctioned Camps and Forced Relocation: Recent legislation forces unhoused people into state-run, "sanctioned" camping sites. If they leave, they risk arrest. Furthermore, local governments debate bills to sue cities for relocating their homeless populations to other counties without warning.

• Severe Shelter Shortages: Emergency shelters in areas like Southeast Tennessee only meet 22% of the actual need. Across the state, many people are forced to live unsheltered due to this lack of space.

• Advocate Protests: Community actions to push for housing and support instead of criminalization.

In the State of Tennessee, no person should suffer unnecessarily from cold, extreme heat, or hunger, be deprived of shelter or the basic rights incident to shelter, or be subject to unfair discrimination based on his or her homeless status. At present, many people have been rendered homeless because of economic hardship, a severe shortage of safe and affordable housing, and a shrinking social safety net. This initiative intends to lessen the adverse effects and conditions caused by the lack of residence or a home.

The humane intent. It is the long-standing policy of this State that no person should suffer unnecessarily from cold or hunger, be deprived of shelter or the basic rights incident to shelter, or be subject to unfair discrimination based on his or her homeless status. At present, many people have been rendered homeless as a result of economic hardship, a severe shortage of safe and affordable housing, and a shrinking social safety net. This initiative intends to lessen the adverse effects and conditions caused by the lack of residence or a home.

Atwater's Tennessee Homeless Bill of Rights.

(a) No person's rights, privileges, or access to public services may be denied or abridged solely because he or she is homeless. Such a person shall be granted the same rights and privileges as any other citizen of the State of Tennessee. A person experiencing homelessness has the following rights:

(1) the right to use and move freely in public spaces, including but not limited to public sidewalks, public parks, public transportation, and public buildings, in the same manner as any other person and without discrimination based on his or her housing status;

(2) the right to equal treatment by all State and municipal agencies, without discrimination based on housing status;

(3) the right not to face discrimination while maintaining employment due to his or her lack of a permanent mailing address, or his or her mailing address being that of a shelter or social service provider;

(4) the right to emergency medical care free from discrimination based on his or her housing status;

(5) the right to vote, register to vote, and receive documentation necessary to prove identity for voting without discrimination due to his or her housing status;

(6) the right to protection from disclosure of his or her records and information provided to homeless shelters and service providers to State, municipal, and private entities without appropriate legal authority; and the right to confidentiality of personal records and information in accordance with all limitations on disclosure established by the federal Homeless Management Information Systems, the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and the federal Violence Against Women Act; and

(7) the right to a reasonable expectation of privacy in his or her personal property to the same extent as personal property in a permanent residence.

(b) As used in this initiative, "housing status" means the status of having or not having a fixed or regular residence, including the status of living on the streets, in a shelter, or in a temporary residence.

(8) Damages and attorney's fees. In any civil action alleging a violation of this initiative, the court may award appropriate injunctive and declaratory relief, actual damages, and reasonable attorney's fees and costs to a prevailing plaintiff.