Fremont faces a significant homelessness crisis, with over 600 unsheltered residents as of 2024 (Alameda County Continuum of Care, 2024). Fremont’s recently-enacted camping ban, despite its stated intentions, fails to provide meaningful solutions and disproportionately impacts marginalized communities.
In February 2025, responding to community concerns and a federal court ruling in Grants Pass, Oregon (Blake v. City of Grants Pass, 2023), Fremont’s City Council enacted this controversial ordinance prohibiting camping in public spaces. Initially, the ordinance criminalized “aiding and abetting” encampments, but this clause was removed following public backlash and legal action from the California Homeless Union (Politico, 2025).
Although Mayor Raj Salwan defended the ban as compassionate, Fremont’s historical resistance to homelessness solutions—including protests against a homeless navigation center in 2019 (ABC7 News, 2019)—highlights longstanding reluctance toward solutions. My main argument is that Fremont’s decisions on homelessness are heavily influenced by political and financial motivations, particularly re-election interests.
Research by the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (2022) confirms punitive measures fail to decrease homelessness and instead increase municipal costs. Enforcement disproportionately harms marginalized groups (Batko et al., 2020).
Instead of punitive measures, Fremont must prioritize Housing First programs, increasing affordable housing availability, and enhancing mental health services. The Housing First model, already proven effective in cities nationwide, provides stable housing without preconditions and directly addresses root causes of homelessness (National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2023).
Fremont continues to face inadequate shelter capacity and affordable housing shortages, partly due to prioritizing market-rate developments inaccessible to low-income residents.
Chad G. Politix
Fremont
References
ABC7 News. (2019). Fremont residents oppose homeless navigation center proposal. Retrieved from https://abc7news.com
Alameda County Continuum of Care. (2024). Homelessness in Alameda County: 2024 Report.
Almanza, J. (2025). Public statement to Fremont City Council.
Batko, S., Gillespie, S., Ballard, M., & Cunningham, M. (2020). Racial disparities in homelessness and housing instability. Urban Institute.
Blake v. City of Grants Pass, 2023. No. 18-35719, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Fremont Unified School District. (2020). FUSD Board Meeting Records.
Los Angeles Times. (2024). California AG sues Shangri-La Industries for fraud. Retrieved from https://www.latimes.com
National Alliance to End Homelessness. (2023). Housing First: Ending chronic homelessness with evidence-based solutions.
National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty. (2022). Housing not handcuffs: The criminalization of homelessness in U.S. cities.
Politico. (2025). Advocates sue Fremont over camping ban. Retrieved from https://www.politico.com
Salwan, R. (2025). Mayor’s electronic newsletters, February 19 & March 8, 2025.
Wan, V. (2025). Homelessness and public policy: Why enforcement doesn’t work. Abode Services Annual Report.
