As students at Tulane University, it is easy to feel insulated from the harsh realities of those experiencing homelessness in New Orleans. Louisiana’s proposed House Bill 211 will make that reality even harsher by criminalizing homelessness. 

The bill, known as “Streets to Success,” makes unauthorized camping in public spaces a criminal offense. Local governments would be permitted to establish internment camps for the homeless or place individuals in court-supervised diversion programs. 

Sleeping outside on sidewalks, parks or under an overpass could result in fines, arrests and jail time. Fines for first offenses can reach up to $500 and a minimum of six months in prison, which doubles for future convictions.

Those cited under the law could be directed into a court-supervised diversion program for mental health or drug-related services as an alternative to jail, but participation is not fully voluntary. 

This is a shallow attempt to disguise control as support. 

The bill also authorizes designated internment camps, part of a broader agenda by Gov. Jeff Landry to relocate the homeless. In 2025, his administration deployed armed state officers to gather people experiencing homelessness in New Orleans and force them into camps prior to Super Bowl 59. 

The internment camps will be placed in areas where they will not affect property values. That likely means locations far removed from city centers and away from jobs, public transportation and other services. 

For those already struggling to maintain stability, this geographic isolation will make it harder to find work and access resources that help transition individuals out of homelessness. 

Many people experiencing homelessness rely on informal networks of support, shared resources and familiar surroundings. Those relationships function as stability. Forcing people into distant, state-designated facilities disrupts communities and cuts people off from support networks. 

The bill treats homelessness as a behavioral problem rather than a structural one. 

Criminalizing the most visible outcomes of homelessness does not fix the problem. If lawmakers truly wanted to help homeless people, they would provide resources to address the structural issues that lead to homelessness, such as housing costs, wage stagnation, lack of mental health care and limited access to support services.