Amy Zaremba brought a different perspective to the face of homelessness at the recent Equal Justice Works dinner in Atlanta. Having worked previously with people experiencing homelessness Ms. Zaremba was able to speak from experience the hardships people encounter. Her talk focused on the unethical treatment of those harassed by law enforcement for no other reason then the fact they are homeless.

__Ms. Zaremba's remarks for Equal Justice Works dinner__

If I were arrested on my way home tonight, it would cost about $68 a night to keep me in jail. Alternatively, if I were homeless in Atlanta, it would cost about $33 a night to provide me not only with safe, secure shelter, but also with comprehensive supportive services including mental health care, daily living skills, job training, and addictions counseling. Breaking it down even further, it would cost only approximately $11 a night to provide me with basic shelter in Atlanta, and this would also include case management and some meals. Yet, every night and day in Atlanta, homeless people are being arrested. Homeless people are being taken to jail. The homeless are spending time locked up receiving little or no support services. Not only is this costly; it is wrong

Good evening. My name is Amy Zaremba and I am a first year Equal Justice Works fellow. I am sponsored by Greenberg Traurig and hosted by the Georgia Justice Project. You probably can tell that my project focuses on the decriminalization of homelessness. By no means, however, am I going to stand here tonight and advocate that we look the other way when people who are homeless commit crimes. I am going to say, however, that every day and every night, men and women who have done nothing wrong and who have committed no crime, are being harassed, ticketed, and even arrested simply because they have no home to go to at the end of the day.

While being a lawyer is new to me, working with, and for, people who are homeless is not. For over 13 years, and in 5 different cities, I have been involved with the homeless community. I have worked with individuals, children, and families. I’ve done frontline shelter work, created and implemented different programs, and everything in between. And, I say with confidence that arresting people simply because they lack their own bed to sleep in at night, their own shower to wash up in, or their own couch to relax on after work, is NOT the answer.

Since September, as an Equal Justice Works fellow, I have been working with homeless individuals when arrested for "quality of life" ordinances, providing legal representation for these men and women in their effort to receive fair and just treatment in the justice system and, with the help of the Georgia Justice Project, supporting these men and women, not only in the legal system, but also as they work to address the various issues that are at the root of their homelessness.

Another aspect of my work includes public education about homelessness. As my project continues, I will have the opportunity to offer presentations to different community groups, as well as the law enforcement community, to explain a bit about homelessness and clear up misconceptions. For example, did you know that 75% of people who are homeless in Atlanta have at least a high school diploma, with over 30% of them having some college? 4 out of 10 people who are homeless have worked in the past 30 days, or are currently employed. And, almost 30% of the homeless population in Atlanta are military veterans. That’s compared to only 10% of the general population of Atlanta.

Not too long ago, in a little plaza across the street from my house, 13 people, all homeless, were arrested. When I spoke to them and others in the area who witnessed the arrest, including a local business owner, the stories I got were all the same. These men and women were not doing anything illegal, but were all just sitting on the benches. There was no drinking, no yelling, no disturbances, at all. Yet, those 13 people spent the night in jail. As these people are not the harden criminals that we may think they are, they were scared, intimidated, and just wanted to get the whole experience behind them, so the next day in court, they pled guilty and received a sentence of “time served.” Speaking further with the business owner, she felt that the police did this to “send a message” to the men and women that they were not welcome to sit in the plaza, as you or I would be. Now, you might say that one misdemeanor arrest is not a big deal. But, it is. And, it is often not just one. These men and women face this daily. Overtime, these arrests add up, and one day, some police officer or solicitor is going to decide that there are enough prior arrests that “time served” is not adequate.

That, my friends, is as clear of an example of the criminalization of homelessness as there is. And, because of the support of Equal Justice Works, Greenberg Traurig, and people like you, I am able to work with these men and women to advocate on their behalf for better solutions. I am able to focus on creating a less hostile environment for people who have no place to go. I am able to work with others in the community to offer alternatives to jail for people who are homeless and are not committing any crimes. I am able to work on the decriminalization of homelessness.

So, I thank you. And, more importantly, the men and women I work with daily, those who just want to sit on the park benches because they have no couch to sit on, but sometimes end up sitting in a jail cell, because they have no couch to sit on, thank you.