Legislation moving through the Louisiana Senate would punish unhoused people with fines, incarceration, forced labor and compulsory treatment they would have to pay for themselves.
House Bill 211 would “create the crime of unauthorized camping on public property” punishable with fines up to $500, six months incarceration or both for first-time violators. Multiple offenders would face up to $1,000 in fines and one to two years in jail “with or without hard labor,” according to the measure the Louisiana House passed 70-28 last month.
Opponents described the measure as among the harshest and least effective approaches to homelessness in the nation.
Lesli Harris
“HB-211 would steer Louisiana toward the most expensive option while producing no lasting housing, no services and no real path forward for the people involved,” said Leslie Harris, a Democratic councilmember in New Orleans.
“Louisiana has advanced one of the cruelest anti-homeless bills in the country,” the National Homelessness Law Center said. “It would force homeless people to choose between jail and involuntary treatment, make them pay for it, and if they can’t pay, force them to perform unpaid labor.”
The bill defines “unauthorized camping” as “the intentional use of any tent, shelter or bedding constructed or arranged for the purpose of or in such a way to permit overnight use on public property that is not a designated campground.”
“Louisiana has advanced one of the cruelest anti-homeless bills in the country.”
The act authorizes the creation of a “Homelessness Court” in jurisdictions that choose to participate in the program. Eligible offenders would receive treatment for physical and mental health issues, substance abuse, education and job-assistance services.
Those who complete the program successfully would have their convictions expunged, while those who fail would be fined and returned to jail.
However, offenders also would be required to cover the full cost of the program. Those unable to pay could be sentenced to forced labor or be assigned to state or federal treatment programs. Judges could waive some or all fees at their discretion.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signs the Ten Commandments bill into law. (Photo: Governor’s office)
HB-211 also prohibits parishes and municipalities from permitting camping on public properties, although it does allow jurisdictions to designate property for public camping for up to a year if local homeless shelters are at capacity. The measure also enables local residents and businesses to sue to prevent or limit such facilities close to their properties.
Harris expressed concern that state and local courts will be overwhelmed by the homeless cases created by SB-211: “Thousands of cases involving unhoused individuals would flow into a court system that is already under significant strain. Judges, public defenders and prosecutors would be tasked with processing an enormous new caseload, pulling time and resources away from serious criminal matters and slowing justice for everyone.”
Just as troubling is the bill’s “internment camp provisions,” she said. “Local governments could only establish these facilities in areas that would not affect surrounding property values, placing them far from public transportation, employment and the very services people need to get back on their feet. That is not a path to stability. It is a path to further isolation.”
Efforts to pass HB-211 stem from a 2024 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that cleared the way for municipalities to arrest or fine homeless people who camp on sidewalks, parks and other public spaces.
Faithful America launched a petition campaign urging legislators to kill the measure. The advocacy group estimated the cost for treatment proposed in the bill could cost more than $4,400 a week.
“This bill is a key priority of GOP Gov. Jeff Landry’s legislative agenda,” the group said. “He has long been hostile toward the unhoused, in 2025 deploying armed state agents to round up unhoused New Orleanians to force them into internment camps — to clear the streets for tourists visiting for the Super Bowl.”
The measure is “what white Christian nationalism looks like,” the organization added. “Under Landry, Louisiana is leading the Christian nationalist movement in the nation, merging church and state, from ushering in the Ten Commandments to forcing chaplains into public schools.”