Criminalizing Poverty: The Local Laws That Target Homeless People in Alabama Cities
Across Alabama, poverty is being punished rather than understood. Cities are increasingly using local ordinances to criminalize behaviors that are byproducts of homelessness rather than acts of defiance. Sleeping in public spaces, asking for help, or even existing in certain areas without a permanent address have become offenses that can lead to citations, arrests, and records that make recovery nearly impossible.
This quiet criminalization reflects a troubling reality: rather than addressing the root causes of homelessness, many cities have chosen to regulate visibility. The laws do not fix poverty; they simply push it out of sight.
Anti-Homelessness Laws Disguised as Public Order
Cities such as Birmingham, Huntsville, and Mobile have enacted ordinances that make it illegal to engage in everyday survival activities. These include laws against loitering, panhandling, sleeping in cars, and setting up temporary shelters in public areas. On paper, these laws are often justified as efforts to “maintain public safety” or “protect community aesthetics.” In practice, they disproportionately target those who have nowhere else to go.
For example, Birmingham’s ordinances have made it a misdemeanor to block sidewalks or medians, which effectively criminalizes individuals who hold signs asking for help. Huntsville has implemented strict regulations around where people can sleep or camp, even when shelters are full. These measures create a cycle where people who cannot afford housing are punished for simply being unhoused.
The Cost of Punishment Without Solutions
When homelessness is treated as a crime, people are arrested for behaviors that stem from poverty itself. Each citation or fine adds another barrier to stability. Once someone is charged with a misdemeanor for camping or loitering, finding employment or housing becomes even more difficult. The result is a revolving door between the streets, the courts, and the local jail, which is an expensive cycle that drains public resources without addressing the underlying need for affordable housing and supportive services.
According to advocates and social workers, the real issue is not a lack of enforcement but a lack of compassion and strategy. Jail beds cost more than housing, and court fees rarely get paid by people who have no income. The system punishes individuals for conditions they did not create, while the root issues — mental health, unemployment, and housing scarcity — remain untouched.
Local Governments and Misplaced Priorities
Many local governments frame these ordinances as necessary tools for “public safety” or “economic development.” Yet what they actually accomplish is the erasure of visible poverty from downtown areas, parks, and business districts. This approach may appease business owners and city image concerns, but it does nothing to solve the crisis itself.
In Huntsville, for instance, police have periodically cleared encampments where people sought shelter during cold months, despite limited shelter availability. In Mobile, similar sweeps have occurred without offering relocation or alternative resources. These actions do not prevent homelessness; they only scatter it.
The contradiction is clear: the same municipalities that claim to care about public safety are punishing people for seeking safety wherever they can find it.
A Better Path Forward
If Alabama cities truly want to address homelessness, they must shift from enforcement to engagement. That means investing in affordable housing initiatives, mental health programs, transportation access, and employment opportunities. It also means supporting organizations that meet people where they are instead of pushing them away.
Public spaces should serve the public. That includes everyone — those with homes and those without. Compassionate governance does not mean ignoring city concerns; it means responding to them with solutions that prioritize humanity over image.
Poverty Is Not a Crime
Criminalizing poverty will never eliminate it. Arresting someone for sleeping outdoors will not provide them with a bed. Ticketing a person for panhandling will not create a job. These laws are not solutions; they are distractions from the real work of creating systems that allow everyone to live with dignity and stability.
When laws punish survival, they fail justice. Alabama has an opportunity to lead differently and to choose empathy, equity, and long-term investment over short-term control. The future depends on how we treat those who have the least.
