Purpose

The Legislature of Louisiana recognizes that there is a critical need for criminal justice system programs to assist those persons who are experiencing homelessness in order to reduce the incidence of substance abuse disorders, untreated mental health issues, destruction and disruption of use of public property, significant public health and safety issues, and crimes committed by those experiencing homelessness. There is also a need for programs to assist those experiencing homelessness with mental health issues, including mental health diagnoses and undiagnosed mental illnesses. Moreover, many experiencing homelessness suffer from co-occurring disorders of substance abuse and mental illness. These problems can cause those experiencing homelessness to have involvement with the criminal justice system. Therefore, it is the intent of the Legislature of Louisiana to create specialized court programs in the various districts of this state called "Homelessness Court programs" to assist those experiencing homelessness in overcoming these issues, as they impact themselves, the criminal justice system, and society at large. The goals of these programs are to reduce recidivism among those experiencing homelessness and to provide them with the assistance that they need to become productive members of society.