HAMPTON, Va. — The Hampton City Council deferred a decision on a city code ordinance that would have made camping, sleeping or storing belongings on public property a misdemeanor at their Wednesday meeting.
Hampton Mayor Jimmy Gray said the decision came from individual conversations with council members, who he said would plan to bring back a modified or revised version of the ordinance in August after meeting with stakeholders and interested parties.
According to Gray, the consideration of the ordinance was prompted by the need to address the issues of neighborhoods and businesses.
The ordinance, as listed on the council's agenda, would constitute a class one misdemeanor, which in Virginia is punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine.
The ordinance stated that unattended property stored in public spaces may be seized by the city. Individuals who violate the ordinance would be given a verbal warning, information about homeless shelters and housing assistance programs and "reasonable time" to comply with the warning.
Despite the last-minute agenda change, public commenters spoke for over an hour, raising concerns about the impacts of the ordinance and the availability of shelter beds to accommodate those without housing.
"This ordinance may be a reactionary solution to a few complaints from business owners," one commenter said. "But if someone sleeping on or around their property, that is a trespassing or loitering issue. We do not need an additional ordinance aimed at punishing the homeless."
A recent study of homelessness in the Virginia Peninsula found that homelessness was projected to increase, with over 2,000 individuals in the area facing homelessness over a single year.
"Just so that you all understand that I understand what you're saying, my own father was homeless," City Manager Mary Bunting said after the public comment portion of the meeting.
She explained the board's consideration of the ordinance stemmed from concerns they heard from the community about certain unwanted behaviors in neighborhoods and clarified that "no one wants to criminalize homeless people".
The council's August meeting is set for Aug. 13 at 6:30 p.m. in the council chambers.
