Last fall, on a mission to investigate campsite removals, or “sweeps” around the country, reporters from ProPublica came to Rose Haven and interviewed our guests on the impact of sweeps on their day to day lives. They published a series of articles describing how sweeps create a cycle of hardship for our neighbors who are living unsheltered. These ProPublica articles demonstrate the harms of sweeps that Rose Haven staff and volunteers hear about everyday from our guests.
Sweeps often take survival items that keep our guests warm and dry, and increase the burden on organizations like Rose Haven that supply those items. There have also been reports of sweeps destroying irreplaceable sentimental items which for many people feed important parts of their identities, allow relief from life’s hardships, and help them connect with others. Additionally, sweeps make it incredibly difficult for people experiencing homelessness to work towards finding housing, employment, mental health, and other resources.
To learn more about how sweeps impact people experiencing homelessness around the country check out the ProPublica articles linked below.
Swept Away: When Cities Take Belongings From Vulnerable Residents
In this article, ProPublica uplifts interviews on sweeps carried out across the country, several of which were with our guests. “Over and over, they told ProPublica that having possessions taken traumatizes them, exacerbates health issues and undermines efforts to find housing and get or keep a job.”
“I Have Lost Everything”: The Toll of Cities Homeless Sweeps
This article shares examples of what people have lost from campsite removals including important documents, survival gear, and irreplaceable sentimental items. The article shares responses from interviewees who were given notecards to write about things that were lost during sweeps.
Cities Say They Store Property Taken From Homeless Encampments. People Rarely Get Their Things Back
Portland, Oregon, distributes cards to people whose belongings are stored after encampment removals. Stephenie, who is homeless, received a similar card after her belongings were taken. Credit: ProPublica, Photo provided by Portland officials
While many cities store items that were taken in sweeps, the process for what to save and what to discard is not standardized. Even when items are stored, there are barriers to retrieving them. “In Portland, which stores the most among the cities ProPublica reviewed, property was reclaimed 4% of the time during a recent 12-month period.”
U.S. Supreme Court Ruling Will Allow More Aggressive Homeless Encampment Removals
This article discusses the recent Grants Pass camping ban that went to the Supreme Court last summer. “The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to give cities broader latitude to punish people for sleeping in public when they have no other options will likely result in municipalities taking more aggressive action to remove encampments, including throwing away more of homeless people’s property, advocates and legal experts said.”
Albuquerque Is Throwing Out the Belongings of Homeless People, Violating City Policy
One of two articles covering Albuquerque, New Mexico’s campsite removals: “The city has violated a court order and its own policies by discarding the personal property of thousands of homeless people, who have lost medications, birth certificates, IDs, treasured family photos and the ashes of loved ones.”
Judge Lifts Order That Mandated Albuquerque Stop Throwing Away Homeless People’s Belongings
A second article on how Albuquerque, New Mexico is handling campsite removals: “A district judge stood by his previous finding that the city has seized and destroyed personal property during its homeless encampment removals but said a pending Supreme Court ruling could make his order ‘unworkable.’”
What I Learned Reporting in Cities That Take Belongings From Homeless People
Here, a reporter from ProPublica shares her takeaways from reporting on campsite removals. “Our reporting shows there are more effective and compassionate ways for cities to deal with these issues.”
Want to Report on Homelessness? Here’s What Our Sources Taught Us About Engaging Responsibly
A team of ProPublica journalists reported in 11 cities to connect with people who experienced homeless encampment sweeps. News applications developer Ruth Talbot visited Rose Haven, a day shelter and community center in Portland, Oregon. Credit: Asia Fields/ProPublica
When ProPublica reporters visited Rose Haven to interview our guests, we shared advice on trauma informed interviewing strategies for those who have experienced homelessness.
“To navigate those and ensure our reporting was as responsible as possible, we turned to the experts: people who experienced homelessness, service providers and key community members… During interviews, many of our sources described sweeps as traumatic, and some mentioned other traumatic experiences they had been through.”
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