Professor Jeffrey Baker Quoted in "The Shifting Landscape of Homelessness in Malibu" -- The Malibu Times

Professor Jeffrey R. Baker, Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the Community Justice Clinic, is extensively quoted in the Malibu Times article, "The Shifting Landscape of Homelessness in Malibu." The article examines Malibu's responses to homelessness in light of the recent Ninth Circuit case of Martin v. City of Boise. In addition to his analysis of the case, Professor Baker summarized the need for comprehensive, creative public responses to homelessness.

Excerpts from "The Shifting Landscape of Homelessness in Malibu"

"It's a housing problem, a mental health problem, a public health problem. These compounding traumas are so complex and so thoroughly embedded into our systems that to try to respond with the blunt force of criminal [law] is just not enough," Baker said. "Whatever our public responses have to be, they have to be all of the above."

"If there's a lesson from the Boise case, it's that cities, counties, governments have to figure out ways to address homelessness that don't rely exclusively on criminalizing someone," he continued. "The question becomes, 'How are you going to do that in a way that isn't making someone criminal when they have nowhere else to go?' That, to me, is a question of imagination and policy and the humanitarian response of a community."

Read the complete article "The Shifting Landscape of Homelessness in Malibu."