SAFE STREETS PHILLY (SSP)

Housing The Homeless & Keeping The Peace
We can combine compassion with common sense. Government can provide shelter and services to those in need, AND also protect the public's health, safety, and welfare.  It is not compassionate to allow people to live on the streets - it is unsafe, unsanitary, and uncivilized - for all concerned.


WHAT YOU CAN DO  /  FLYER  /  BACKGROUND  /  PA & CITY LAWS & LEGISLATION  /  MENTAL ILLNESS  /  DHS  /  UPDATES

EMAIL us to join our efforts or for updates: Lynn and Cliff Landes / LynnLandes@gmail.com

UPDATE: May 11, 2023: Support Philly City Council anti-Safe-Injection-Sites legislation and attend the May 25th City Council meeting, City Hall, Room 400, 10:00 am.  Please come prepared to speak. There's a sign-up sheet in the hallway. You may not get more than 2 minutes. It's best to write out what you want to say – about 320 words – and speak clearly, because the acoustics are horrible in that room.  Hope to see you there.  Lynn Landes 714-204-2690

UPDATE: Jan 18, 2023: Support Needed For Potential Litigation To Help End Rampant Lawlessness In Philadelphia & Nonenforcement of State Laws

We are asking the City of Philadelphia to do the following:

  1. Educate the public, both property owners and tenants, about their absolute 'legal right' and 'responsibility' under state and city laws (Titles 9 & 10) to keep their sidewalks clear of criminal behavior and prohibited conduct (i.e., loiterers, panhandlers, and the homeless). The City should issue public service announcements (PSAs) & education on the importance of laws regarding health, sanitation, & public conduct.  Unfortunately, most businesses don't know about Title 9 or Title 10.  Many businesses who have security staff, often do not allow them to enforce security outside of the building, in violation of Title 9. This is a situation that SafeStreetsPhilly has tried to remediate through educating the various businesses, but it would be better handled by the city disseminating this information to the public in a more orderly and uniform manner, such as on tax bills and statements, in radio and TV spots, and on buses!
     

  2. Enforce the law. Particularly, Titles 9 and 10.  If necessary, sue the District Attorney and Police Commissioner for "failure to enforce the law".  Enforce 'no camping on public property without a permit' AND always have shelter space available. Federal court decisions have stated that people can live on the street “IF” municipalities provide NO shelter space, which makes sense (Martin v City of Boise). Therefore, it is incumbent on governments to always have shelter space available for the homeless. Non-profits cannot make this commitment. Whereas, the city has thousands of vacant buildings, and some could be quickly converted. That said, every county in the country should also have available emergency shelters, including facilities for short term and long term mental health care and drug rehabilitation. To that end, the City of Philadelphia and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania should take steps to meet with their colleagues in other cities and states to agree to share this responsibility and build publicly funded facilities. 
     

  3. Enforce "Repeated Panhandling" under Title 10, and if necessary, challenge the 9th Circuit Court's ruling that ruled panhandling is a form of "free speech". Panhandlers are often drug addicts who provide the perfect environment for drug dealers to do business, as well as pose a constant problem to many businesses and neighborhoods. The city should determine if there is a real need for financial assistance or employment, and then take the appropriate action through city services. Also, no person or organizations, including nonprofits, should be allowed to panhandle or solicit drivers in traffic.
     

  4. Amend Philadelphia Code, Title 10, to strengthen enforcement of “Prohibited Conduct”, by allowing the police to cite and remove violators immediately, if necessary. The police should take the homeless to a facility for assessment, shelter, and services, rather than to have the Homeless Outreach Team come out to the scene of the violation, where the homeless often reject offers of assistance and continue to violate Philadelphia laws. Complainants should be able to file charges at the scene of the crime, rather than be required to go to Detectives Central, which many businesspeople do not have the time or staff to do. In addition, chronic offenders should receive progressive sentencing, the more the offenses, the longer the sentence.  That said, we are strong supporters of rehabilitation programs, job training, and drug treatment in prison and out.
     

  5. Increase police patrols, day and night. Plus, the police are over-relying on the public to call 911. It appears that unless residents and businesses complain, nothing happens. This could be an over-reaction to charges of police harassment.
     

  6. Request that mayor and city council work with PA state representatives in Harrisburg to amend Pennsylvania Code, 5100.84 for involuntary commitments, so that those who need long-term or life-time mental health shelter and care can receive it. It is laws like this one that have resulted in the mentally ill living on the street or in prison. 
     

  7. Determine the identity of the homeless who are coming in for shelter and services. In some cases, the “homeless” have homes, assets, and relatives or caretakers who are looking for them, but because the sharing of information is too often a voluntary process at government offices and nonprofit shelters, that information is not available or acted upon.
     

  8. Ensure that the mentally ill, who qualify for SSD and other benefits, receive them, along with an assigned case worker. Currently, the Office of Homeless Servicer and some non-profits offer to assist in getting SSD benefits for the mentally ill, but it is a voluntary process on the part of the mentally & physically ill.  See more info below
     

  9. Audit the Department of Homeless Services to ensure that their $100 million dollar budget is being effectively employed. There is a widespread and serious concern that many of the non-profits are enabling the homeless to live on the streets, rather than effectively getting them off of the streets.
     

  10. Offer rehabilitation, drug treatment, and job training to those in need.  Life skills, crafts, and a wide variety of job training services are needed for those in need, facilities, or in prison, including primitive skills and crafts, from low tech to high (such as gardening, knitting, crochet, weaving, sewing, wood working, furniture repair, tool making, lamp construction and repairs, dog training, the building trades, computer programming and repair, etc.).  There are many in the city who would volunteer their time and talents to such a venture.
     

  11. Remove All SEPTA Benches: When the city removed the SEPTA benches across from Macy's on Market Street, it made a huge difference in discouraging the panhandlers, drunks, and miscreants to hang out in that area. If people need to sit, there are light weight fold-up stools they can buy. Therefore, we strongly urge the city to remove all seating for bus stops as they are a magnet for trouble.
     

  12. All The Sidewalk Steam Vents Need To Be Covered in order to prevent the homeless from camping there.
     

  13. Prohibit commercial dumpsters, trash cans, and food waste containers that are accessible to the public, as they are magnets for health and safety issues. 
     

BUSINESS:  Every business, tenant, and property owner has the 'legal right' to keep their sidewalks clear of loiterers at any time, no restrictions. In Philadelphia, under Title 9, businesses have the ‘right and responsibility’ to keep the vicinity around their business free from “prohibited conduct” as defined under Title 10. Under Title 9, businesses that allow prohibited conduct on the sidewalk or street, as defined under Title 10, can be forced to remediate the situation or be closed down. Unfortunately, most businesses don't know about Title 9, and believe that they have no rights or responsibilities to forbid prohibited conduct on their sidewalk or street. Even businesses who have security staff, often do not allow them to enforce security outside of the building, in violation of Title 9. This is a situation that SafeStreetsPhilly has tried to remediate through educating the various businesses, but it would be better handled by the city disseminating this information to the public.

TITLE 9-4400.  RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS -- OPERATIONS: http://library.amlegal.com/nxt/gateway.dll/Pennsylvania/philadelphia_pa/title9regulationofbusinessestradesandpro/chapter9-4400responsiblebusinessoperatio?f=templates$fn=default.htm$3.0$vid=amlegal:philadelphia_pa$anc=JD_Chapter9-4400

TITLE 10. REGULATION OF INDIVIDUAL CONDUCT AND ACTIVITY -- http://library.amlegal.com/nxt/gateway.dll/Pennsylvania/philadelphia_pa/title10regulationofindividualconductanda/chapter10-600publicplaces-prohibitedcond?f=templates$fn=default.htm$3.0$vid=amlegal:philadelphia_pa$anc=JD_Chapter10-600

"Prohibited Conduct" under Title 10 (not the complete list):

EMAIL to join our efforts or for updates: Lynn and Cliff Landes / LynnLandes@gmail.com