The following shall apply:
(1) It is the long-standing policy of this Commonwealth
that no individual should suffer unnecessarily from cold or
hunger, be deprived of shelter, or the basic rights incident
to shelter, or be subject to unfair discrimination based on
the individual's homeless status.
(2) Many individuals have been rendered homeless as a
result of economic hardship, a severe shortage of safe and
affordable housing and a shrinking social safety net.
(3) It is the intent of the General Assembly to lessen
the adverse effects and conditions caused by homelessness.
Section 4. Rights afforded to homeless individuals.
(a) General rule.--No individual's rights, privileges or
access to public services may be denied or abridged solely
because the individual is homeless.
(b) Specific rights.--A homeless individual shall be granted
the same rights and privileges as other residents of this
Commonwealth. A homeless individual shall have all of the
following rights:
(1) To use and move freely in public spaces, including,
but not limited to, public sidewalks, public parks, public
transportation and public buildings, in the same manner as
any other individual and without discrimination on the basis
of the individual's housing status.
(2) To equal treatment by State and local government
agencies, without discrimination on the basis of housing
status.
(3) To be free from discrimination while maintaining
employment due to the individual's lack of permanent mailing
address or due to the fact that the mailing address used by
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