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by buss 4735 days ago
You're right, making homelessness illegal would be unconstitutional. According to wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-homelessness_legislation#U...):

> The National Coalition for the Homeless reports that there is a growing trend in the United States towards criminalizing the state of being homeless.[6] Proponents of this approach believe that punitive measures will deter people from choosing to be homeless. To this end, cities across the country increasingly outlaw activities such as sleeping, eating, sitting, and begging in public spaces, and selectively enforce more neutral laws—such as those prohibiting open containers or loitering—against homeless populations.[6] Violators of such laws typically incur criminal penalties, which result in fines and/or incarceration.

> In April, 2006 the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that "making it a crime to be homeless by charging them with a crime is in violation of the 8th and 14th Amendments."[7]

But, while criminalizing homelessness may be unconstitutional, criminalizing all side effects of being homeless is not.