Warrant check at shelter angers homeless

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Police are checking the names of homeless people at the city’s shelters to weed out those with outstanding warrants, a move angering homeless advocates.

“It will keep a lot of people, even those who are not wanted by the law, from using the shelter,” said Michael Stoops, acting executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless.

So far, the checks have netted 21 arrests, all for people failing to appear in court on what city officials say are misdemeanor charges such as panhandling and public intoxication.

City officials say they are trying to assure the safety of the people in the shelter. “We’re going to take the extra steps to make sure we’re providing a safe atmosphere for everyone,” said Harold Reaves, the city’s deputy director of homeland security.

The checks at the city’s two winter shelters surprised Victor Williams, a homeless man at one of the facilities. “What they’re doing, it’s just wrong,” he said.

In past years, police sometimes showed up with a warrant for someone at a shelter, but didn’t check the sign-in sheet regularly, said Mike Lee, who now directs the city’s shelters.

“This is a homeless shelter, not a safe haven for people who have violated our laws,” City Councilman Kirkman Finlay said. “We cannot in good conscience provide cover for people who are on the lam.”