Rep. Maxwell Frost pushes bill to end forced labor for homeless shelters

Rep. Maxwell Frost used a Wednesday press event to unveil the No Homeless Detention Centers Act, which seeks to protect homeless people from being forced to work for shelter and to grant them legal immunity. He warned that a growing national effort is criminalizing homelessness, pointing to a recent Supreme Court ruling that gives states broader authority to penalize outdoor sleeping. Frost said the trend spans the political spectrum, with right-wing organizations and even some Democratic municipalities favoring handcuffs over housing.

The bill proposes that any federal housing dollars must be used for actual housing assistance, not for operating detention-style centers, and it bans labor requirements for beds. He framed the issue as a housing crisis driven by unaffordable rent and stagnant wages, and noted that protesters at the event carried signs declaring housing as a human right.