BSU student/former homeless man: Fall River City Council shouldn’t be kicking people when they are already down

This is an opinion letter that was submitted to Fall River Reporter and was not written by us.

“Dear Editor, the issue I am writing about is people who are homeless being fined for living in homeless encampments. As a social worker student, it upsets me to see an already marginalized group be fined or jailed just for being homeless. Reading about the Fall River City Council giving out fines for being homeless troubled me greatly.

I believe as a person who was homeless myself that you shouldn’t be kicked when you’re already down. It is shown that not all people who are homeless are addicts but a lot are. It is shown that if you house a homeless addict and treat the addiction once they are housed then the person has a much higher success rate of staying clean versus not being housed and left to their own accord.

I got clean in 2018, and went through a halfway house, which led me to HUD housing, I started at BCC and now I am at Bridgewater State University. I understand the struggles of being homeless while addicted. With funds from the city council going to more programs like HUD or shelters, even more people who are homeless can overcome their addictions.

When the city council passed the bill to fine homeless people for living in encampments it made no sense to me. According to the Herald News there are currently 381 homeless individuals in Fall River. If someone is unable to pay the fine, they may end up in jail. Money can be spent in a much better fashion than policing these encampments. The homeless will not be deterred from setting up encampments just because they will receive a fine.

Instead, I think more money should be invested into the building of new shelters as well as HUD housing programs or vouchers. A lot of addicts suffer from dual diagnoses such as PTSD or other mental health problems. The city council is wrong to let this vulnerable population stay on the streets, especially with winter here. I believe, along with the citizens of Fall River, that the city council can do so much more for the homeless.”

Brendan Sullivan

Bridgwater State University