Fined. Arrested. Still Nowhere to Live.

Sat, 29 Nov 2025 19:50:25 +0000

The Safer Kentucky Act Is Making Homelessness Worse. Across America, new laws are punishing homeless people simply for existing. In Kentucky, the Safer Kentucky Act makes it illegal to sit, lie down, or carry something as basic as a blanket in public. Homeless people are being fined, arrested, and jailed, even when they have nowhere else to live.

We went to Louisville to see the impact firsthand. We spoke with people who’ve been cited for sleeping, threatened with jail, and forced to move from place to place every few days, losing their belongings again and again. One elderly woman told us how a police officer dragged her down a set of stairs. We also highlight the story of a pregnant woman who was given a citation while she was in labor.

This isn’t just happening in Kentucky. Since the Grants Pass Supreme Court ruling, over 260 cities have passed similar laws. These policies don’t reduce homelessness; they make it worse.

But we’ve also seen what works: housing-first programs, low-barrier shelters, and supportive services that restore dignity, save lives, and save taxpayer money.

We’re wasting lives and taxpayer dollars on failed policies. The only real way forward is housing and support, not handcuffs.

More arrests won’t end homelessness. Housing will.
✊ Take action to support the Housing Not Handcuffs Act: https://housingnothandcuffs.org/hnhact

Support VOCAL Kentucky here: https://vocal-ky.org

This documentary is a collaboration between Invisible People and the National Homelessness Law Center.

Executive producer: Mark Horvath
Producer/editor/cinematographer: Alex Gasaway | https://youtube.com/alexgasaway

00:00 – Voices from the street: harassment, forced moves (Louisville, KY)
01:16 – After Grants Pass: Safer Kentucky Act & criminalization overview
02:18 – Police sweeps: constant displacement under HB5
03:34 – “Five minutes” to move: tents trashed, property loss
04:33 – Catch-22 IDs & Section 8 wait; a couple’s voucher hope
05:31 – HB5 scatters encampments: outreach & services set back
06:26 – Survival basics: safety, restrooms, jobs—no options
11:56 – Calling for shelter: “no men’s beds available” (system test)
13:14 – Confiscations & citations: fines people can’t pay
15:37 – The math: jail costs vs unlawful camping fines (wasteful spend)
17:03 – Profit motives & a $300–$400M jail plan
18:19 – Court churn: warrants from tickets; VA link but no housing keys
20:07 – Housing changes lives: recovery & reentry success stories
21:51 – Pregnant woman cited while in labor
24:13 – “Offered services” ≠ housing: paternalism & no units
25:20 – Families pushed out: eviction, “treatment only,” still homeless
26:14 – Criminalization pushes camps into neighborhoods
28:06 – Solution spotlight: Arthur Street Hotel (low-barrier navigation)
30:42 – Vouchers need support: navigation, dignity, harm reduction
32:20 – Sheehan Landing: Housing First + onsite services (PSH model)
33:08 – Dolly’s journey: from street & glaucoma to a home
35:28 – Closing: choose housing over criminalization—build safety & community

MORE:

Illegal to Sleep: Grants Pass’ Cruel War on Homelessness https://youtu.be/qYzx4ZGQnc8?si=iinwSHy787VA4mn5

From a Tent to a Home: No Longer Homeless https://youtu.be/0hkkGH_QADA?si=3PIjFv_8z7els9kC

Can We End Homelessness? Hennepin County Shows How https://youtu.be/yq1C8l4uSZc?

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About Invisible People:

There is a direct correlation between what the general public perceives about homelessness and how it affects policy change. Most people blame homelessness on the person experiencing it instead of the increasing shortage of affordable housing, lack of employment, childhood trauma, lack of a living wage, or the countless reasons that put a person at risk. This lack of understanding creates a dangerous cycle of misperception that leads to the inability to effectively address the root causes of homelessness.

We imagine a world where everyone has a place to call home. Each day, we work to fight homelessness by giving it a face while educating individuals about the systemic issues that contribute to its existence. Through storytelling, education, news, and activism, we are changing the narrative on homelessness.