A Florida city passed a measure placing restrictions on where charities are allowed to set up feeding sites for the homeless, part of a nationwide trend where U.S. cities are making it illegal to feed homeless people.
The city of Fort Lauderdale measure, passed Wednesday, requires all feeding sites be no less than 500 feet apart and that only one can be on each city block, the Sun Sentinel reported. Charities also have to make sure the sites are at least 500 feet from the nearest residence.
City officials say restrictions on feeding the homeless is a matter of maintaining public safety and health.
"Street feeding is one of the worst things to do, because it keeps people in homeless status," Robert Marbut, a consultant who helps cities deal with homelessness, told NPR. "I think it's very unproductive, very enabling, and it keeps people out of recovery programs."
In Salt Lake City, Utah, anyone preparing food for the homeless must have a food handler's permit. Some measures place limits on the use of public space, like the one in Fort Lauderdale, while others place strict regulations on food-safety, according to NPR.
The National Coalition for the Homeless found that over 30 cities have passed measures that in some way restrict public feeding of homeless people since January 2013- a 47 percent increase since the last time the coalition did a study of the same laws in 2010.
But the apparent crackdown on homelessness, which is in fact increasing in some cities, has charities and advocates accusing city officials of promoting "homeless hate laws," the Sun Sentinel reported. One organization, Love Thy Neighbor, may even have to stop handing out weekly meals to the homeless due to the Fort Lauderdale measure.
"Cities' hope is that restricting sharing of food will somehow make [the] homeless disappear and go away," Michael Stoops, NCHF director of community organizing, told NPR. "But I can promise you that even if these ordinances are adopted, it's not going to get rid of homelessness."
