Councilmember Lesli Harris urged Louisiana lawmakers on April 10 to reconsider House Bill 211, known as the “Streets to Success Act.”
Harris said that New Orleans has made progress in addressing homelessness by housing over 1,500 people and closing major encampments across the city in the past two years. She emphasized that these efforts have improved community safety and have been achieved at a reasonable cost.
“New Orleans has spent the last two years building something that works. We have housed over 1,500 of our neighbors, closed major encampments across the city, and made our communities safer — all at a cost that makes fiscal sense. I am asking Louisiana to look at what we have accomplished before moving forward with a bill that would cost far more, deliver far less, and create an entirely new burden on our already strained court system,” Harris said.
She compared costs between current programs and incarceration. “Through our Home for Good program, we house an individual for roughly $21,844 per year. By comparison, jailing that same person costs an average of $51,000 — and failing to act at all can cost up to $55,000 in emergency room visits and crisis rehousing. HB 211 would steer Louisiana toward the most expensive option while producing no lasting housing, no services, and no real path forward for the people involved,” she said.
Harris also raised concerns about impacts on courts if sleeping in public becomes a criminal offense under HB 211. The bill proposes fines up to $500 and a minimum six-month prison sentence for first offenses with doubled penalties for repeat convictions. She warned this could overwhelm judges, public defenders, and prosecutors with new cases involving unhoused individuals.
Additionally, Harris criticized provisions requiring internment camps be located away from property values or essential services: “That is not a path to stability. It is a path to further isolation.”
The councilmember’s statement highlights ongoing debates about how best to address homelessness while balancing fiscal responsibility with social support.
