'Soft-hand–strong-hand' homelessness plan would include services, penalties
HENDERSONVILLE – The city unveiled the early outline of a two-pronged approach to addressing homelessness at its Nov. 5 City Council meeting. Many details are yet to be hammered out but the city plans to adopt a program to promote and expand services for people on the street and likely add penalties for living or sleeping on public property. The draft Unhoused Strategic Plan aims to reduce and prevent homelessness by addressing its root causes, improve quality of life for those on the street and expand public-private partnerships. A draft Camping Ordinance proposes enacting a $50 ticket and/or making staying on the street an arrestable criminal offense. This “soft-hand – strong-hand” strategy, as multiple city officials called it, is meant to combine outreach and legal accountability, they said. The Hendersonville Police Department had 93 encounters with people living on the street from July through October, most of them at night or in the early morning, Budget Management Analyst Jennifer Floyd told Council. The city typically has an average of around 140 people with nowhere to live, though that number spiked to around 600 in January 2025, soon after Tropical Storm Helene, Floyd said. The city plans to conduct a point
