Homeless Courts

Special court sessions held in a local shelter or other community site which help homeless people resolve outstanding misdemeanor criminal warrants (principally "quality of life" infractions such as unauthorized removal of a shopping cart, disorderly conduct, public drunkenness and sleeping on a sidewalk or bench). Outstanding warrants interfere with a homeless person's reintegration into society, deter them from using social services and impede their access to employment. The court addresses quality-of-life offenses that have gone to warrant and provides sentencing, involving participation in treatment and community service, that can clear the offense.