Abstract
Recent years have seen increases in the prevalence of laws criminalizing the homeless, but some communities have made efforts to create alternative approaches. In Sacramento, both trends exist simultaneously. This qualitative study explores the subjective experiences of homeless individuals, police officers, and service providers within this situation. The researcher conducted 24 interviews with individuals in these three categories: 9 homeless individuals, 8 service providers, and 7 police officers. Interviews were transcribed, coded, and thematically analyzed. The researcher found that major concerns included: 1) a lack of resources, 2) a lack of trust, and 3) the problematic nature of the city’s anti-camping ordinance. While these concerns came up in all groups, there were major differences in priorities of these concerns, and starkly different perceptions of whether the general state of affairs are positive, negative, improving or worsening. These results suggest a disconnection between these groups that should be addressed in order to facilitate collaboration and improve outcomes for homeless individuals. More research is needed to determine the cause of this disconnect and potential solutions.