Georgia Bill Tracker Update: Groups Urge Georgia Legislators to Oppose Anti-Homeless Bill HB 295 Project South and the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (@glahr.ga), along with our partners, have issued a statement strongly denouning HB 295…

a harmful bill that would negatively impact people experiencing homelessness and immigrant communities across Georgia. Download the full press statement here: bit.ly/4m5VXAT HB 295 would allow property owners and businesses to sue cities and towns if they believe laws criminalizing homelessness are not being enforced harshly enough. This bill would pressure municipalities to double down on ineffective and costly approaches, arresting and jailing people instead of addressing the root causes of homelessness. As Project South’s Senior Staff Attorney Priyanka Bhatt said: "HB 295 is a cruel and inhumane bill that coerces localities into criminalizing and punishing Georgia's most vulnerable communities. At a time when we are already seeing a dramatic escalation and targeting of immigrants and unhoused communities, this bill will only worsen conditions without providing real solutions. We have already seen the deadly consequences of these types of policies. Just last year, the forced clearing of homeless encampments in Atlanta resulted in the murder of Cornelius Taylor, an unhoused community member, who was still inside his tent. HB 295 could result in exactly these kinds of tragedies—where displacement and punishment take precedence over human life.” On any given night, more than 12,000 people in Georgia are unhoused, and with eviction rates rising, that number is likely to grow. HB 295 does nothing to provide real solutions, such as access to housing, mental health care, or community-based support. Instead, it deepens the criminalization of poverty, trapping people in a cycle that is increasingly difficult to escape. 📢 Tell your legislators to Vote NO on HB 295! 👉 TAKE ACTION at: bit.ly/NOHB295