Homeless Courts are special court sessions designed for homeless citizens to resolve legal barriers that prevent them from obtaining stable housing and from moving forward with their lives.
Housing court sessions are often held in a local shelter or other community site where homeless citizens are able to resolve outstanding misdemeanor criminal warrants, infractions, and fines and fees that are principally “quality-of-life infractions such as sleeping on a sidewalk or on the beach.
The Goals of Homeless Court are to:
address the legal issues that limit a person’s reintegration into society, deter them from using social services, and impede their access to employment and housing
encourage participants to engage in activities and programs that would improve their quality of life such as N/A/AA meetings, GED glasses, mental health treatment, and life skill classes
provide access to the court by holding sessions in community facilities that serve the homeless
