Des Moines council adopts camping ordinance and a 13-part homelessness package; critics say it criminalizes homelessness

The Des Moines City Council on Sept. 16 adopted a package of measures aimed at addressing unsheltered homelessness while voting to amend city code to prohibit certain camping and sleeping activities in public.

A motion combining most items in the council’s homelessness plan passed 5–2. The package includes expanded outreach (four outreach workers total, three new positions), hiring a hearing officer to expedite administrative processes, steps to reduce barriers to emergency shelter use, storage for people’s belongings, transportation options from encampments, pilot public restrooms in downtown locations and an explicit commitment to shelter animals when people bring pets. The council also directed the city manager to reallocate funding for a proposed housing problem-solving (diversion) fund; a speaker at the meeting said the initial pilot amount under discussion was $50,000.

The council separately approved an ordinance that amends Chapter 102 of the Municipal Code to prohibit certain camping/sleeping activities (Item 70). City Manager (as identified in the transcript) said the ordinance would be considered a simple misdemeanor and that, “At its easiest definition, compliance will be the halting of prohibited acts, so the camping and the sleeping.” The manager also told the council that the city’s operational threshold for an affirmative defense tied to shelter capacity would initially be set at more than 95% bed/cot utilization, but that this was a staff operational directive subject to change.

Opponents on the council and in the community said the ordinance effectively criminalizes homelessness, would create barriers to housing and employment and risks jailing people who miss court dates because they lack reliable contact information. One councilmember (opposing votes recorded in the final tally) said, “We are criminalizing homelessness,” and argued that even small fines and misdemeanor records can compound barriers for people seeking housing. The speaker pointed to unresolved questions about how the city will measure compliance, define “space unavailable” at shelters, and ensure long-term funding for outreach positions and other directives.

Service providers and residents urged caution before enforcement begins. Zoe Fry, who identified herself as a former direct service worker with Iowa Homeless Youth Centers, told the council about clients caught in cycles of fines and unstable treatment access and asked, “Do you think that criminalizing people who are a part of your community will improve anything at all?” Several faith leaders and shelter volunteers thanked the council for attention to services but asked that enforcement not be initiated until directives are fully operationalized.

Council supporters said the package balances enforcement on unsafe encampments with increased services and supports. One councilmember who described moving the package as an integrated approach told colleagues the measures were a starting point and that the $50,000 diversion fund would be a pilot “to test it” and refine rules and accountability as the city evaluates outcomes.

What’s next: The council gave direction to the city manager on implementation details and fund reallocation. Several councilmembers said staff will return with metrics and operational plans. The ordinance takes effect under local rules, but council discussion and public comments made clear that many community members expect the city to delay active enforcement until outreach, shelter capacity and monitoring systems are in place.