A New Beginning for Milwaukee's Homeless: Addressing Homelessness Through the Homeless Court System
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Abstract
Poverty is becoming more visible in our society. As the number of individuals experiencing homelessness increases, available shelter beds are unable to meet the need. As a result, homeless people may not be able to avoid breaking laws that make it a crime to sleep, eat, or urinate outdoors. This article will address: how the deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill has impacted the way society perceives those who are experiencing homelessness. Section II will explain how being homeless have been criminalized. Next, section III will discuss what problem solving courts are and how they function. Similarly, section IV will address the history and motivation behind homeless courts. This paper will examine how the Maricopa County Regional Homeless Court (MCRHC) works through the first hand experiences of attorneys, judges, case managers, and other staff members. Although MCRHC represents the whole county of Maricopa, MCHRHC has its roots on the Human Services Campus in downtown Phoenix where are the cases are adjudicated. This article will look at the shortcomings to the homeless court systems seen through the eyes of the MCRHC staff and volunteers, and list the guidelines to implementing a homeless court in a jurisdiction such as Milwaukee.