A federal court has temporarily barred San Francisco from removing homeless encampments, saying the city violated its own policies by not providing them with alternative housing.
Judge Donna M. Ryu in U.S. District Court in Oakland issued an order barring the city from tearing down the tents and confiscating the campers’ belongings.
The move came after a lawsuit filed on behalf of the homeless seeking to stop San Francisco from dismantling homeless encampments until thousands of additional shelter beds are available.
“The city’s arguments were completely unpersuasive,” the judge said.
There are about 7,800 homeless people in the California city, and it has admitted that it does not have thousands of temporary or permanent beds.
Otherwise, in the United States the number of homeless people has increased significantly, especially in California.