Housing Not Handcuffs

Housing Not Handcuffs is a national campaign created by the National Homelessness Law Center and the National Coalition for the Homeless to end the criminalization of homelessness and advocate for housing as a human right.

Who we are

We are a collective

We are a collective of homelessness advocates, activists, human rights attorneys, non-profit organizations, and on-the-ground change makers connected by the understanding that criminalizing homelessness is ineffective, immoral, and costs more money than solving the problem.

  • We believe that every person is entitled to adequate housing as an inalienable human right, and that our criminal justice system is not the solution to social problems.
Learn More

What We Want

We want an end to homelessness.

On our path to that goal, we recognize that the criminalization of homelessness must end immediately.

All persons experiencing homelessness should instead have access to affordable housing, education, health care, employment, income, and other opportunities and services that allow all to live with dignity.

Learn More

How You Can Help

Endorse the Campaign

Whether you’re an experienced advocate, a person experiencing or who has experienced homelessness, a concerned neighbor, a small business owner, a government official, or anyone in between, you can make a difference to this Campaign.

Endorse the Campaign, encourage local leaders to implement our proposed policy solutions, talk to people in your community about the issues and the Campaign, and donate financially to support this work.

Learn More