Amid Criminalization Push.
More Cities Turn to Criminalization to Manage Homelessness as Effective Diversion Programs Lose Funding and Political Support.
Police diversion programs are an important tool for cities to prevent unhoused people from being needlessly locked up in jail or prison. But these programs face an uncertain future as political winds change, and cities increasingly rely on criminalization to address growing rates of homelessness.
The back-and-forth from political leaders about police diversion programs comes as homelessness in the U.S. continues to grow at unprecedented rates. More than 138,000 people became homeless between 2023 and 2024 because of rising home prices and rents, which brought the nationwide total up to more than 770,000, according to federal data.
Several cities have responded by passing laws that criminalize acts like sleeping outside or sharing food in public. More than 160 cities have passed such laws since the Supreme Court’s decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson, which overturned a precedent that prevented cities from punishing homeless people when no shelter is available.
Atlanta’s Police Diversion Program Survives—For Now
Atlanta, Georgia, is one city that has gone back and forth about whether to continue funding its Policing Alternatives and Diversion Initiative. At the start of 2025, the PAD program suspended its services because of contract negotiations with city officials.
PAD responds to calls through Atlanta’s 3-1-1 municipal services line and offers services like legal support, shelter and housing placements, and outreach. In 2024, the program fielded more than 1,800 service requests with an average response time of 19 minutes, according to its annual report. Nearly half of the calls PAD responded to were to help people meet their basic needs.
The program has been so successful that some local leaders asked to expand its service window beyond its current schedule of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Even so, other leaders said PAD’s contract lacked sufficient performance metrics to judge its impact.
PAD received a new contract from the city on January 6, allowing the program to continue for the next two years. However, it remains unclear whether the city will continue funding the program afterward.
“We are committed for the long haul and we are just getting started,” PAD Deputy Director Denise White said in a press release. “Doing this work allows us to transform a system of punishment into one of restoration.”
Dallas Shutters Its Diversion Program, Citing Costs Over Outcomes
Atlanta’s investment in its police alternative program stands in contrast to cities like Dallas, Texas, that have ended similar initiatives.
Dallas ended its Dallas Area Rapid Transit community-response program in September 2024 after the program “did not achieve the anticipated level of success that would justify its financial impact,” according to a memo from Dallas Fire Chief Dominique Artis.
The Public Transit Multi-Disciplinary Response Team was created in November 2023 to provide medical assistance to people experiencing homelessness and behavioral health conditions on Dallas’ public transportation system. However, a DART spokesperson told the Dallas Observer that the city’s financial situation warranted shutting down the program in lieu of funding an alternative approach.
“Any program like this is an investment, and so we have to be very careful about thinking through what is the biggest return on investment as far as a program, and how do we plan for something that can be put in place to move forward,” the spokesperson said.
Advocates in Wilmington Push for a Different Approach
Advocates in Wilmington, Delaware, are calling on Mayor John Carney to create a similar police diversion program. This is happening at a time when homelessness has nearly doubled in the city since 2022, according to local data.
In an op-ed for Delaware Online, advocates described having police officers respond to calls involving homeless people as “burdensome.” Instead, they called on Mayor Carney to create a “homeless detail” that connects people experiencing homelessness with services and shelter instead of having police respond to the calls.
“Police, when they respond to calls involving homeless people, often end up citing or arresting them for low-level offenses,” the advocates wrote. “This leaves everyone poorly served, as it entangles homeless people in the legal system for citations that go unpaid, for missed court dates, and for outstanding warrants. This results in clogged court systems and further barriers that keep the homeless person from getting rehoused. Alternative policies that connect people to housing and services, which involves a different set of skills not taught in traditional police training, lead to much better results.”
Police Alternatives Move Solutions From Handcuffs to Housing
Handcuffs will never solve homelessness. The pandemic proved that we need to rethink housing in the United States. It also showed that many programs designed to address homelessness are rooted in law enforcement rather than social services.
Tell your representatives you support revamping how your city addresses homelessness. Handcuffs do not get anyone closer to stable housing. Instead, we must focus on compassionate solutions, the first step to ending homelessness.