#decriminalised

Homeless people sleeping on the streets of Amsterdam will no longer be fined for doing so. The city’s mayor, Femke Halsema, wrote in a letter to the city council that she plans to stop the fines with immediate effect because, according to her, it "doesn't actually help.” The fines have not led to a drop in homeless people sleeping on the streets, Halsema said. It also puts them further into financial problems, which leads to unpaid fines and irrecoverable costs for the municipality as they have to send reminders and increase the fines. “The measure has therefore missed its target,” said the mayor. The municipality was already hesitant to issue fines to this group of people, but it emerged that penalties were regularly handed out even when those involved were not causing a disturbance. The majority of homeless people sleeping in doorways leave voluntarily when asked. If it does become a nuisance, the police can refer the person in question to a care institution. The Amsterdam branch of municipal health service GGD can take care of those who persistently avoid the care system, and those who cause more disruptions than others.

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