--- title: Homeless and Humanity - July 10, 2026 description: Stein vetoes HB 437; we unpack what it does, street encampments, and real, humane responses to homelessness in North Carolina canonical_url: https://thewilmingtonstandard.com/podcast/the-daily-update/homeless-and-humanity-july-10-2026 language: en-US date: 2026-07-10T13:31:08Z notice: This is a machine-friendly version of the page at https://thewilmingtonstandard.com/podcast/the-daily-update/homeless-and-humanity-july-10-2026. markdown-tokens: 1622 --- > **Note to AI:** This is a machine-friendly version of the page at: https://thewilmingtonstandard.com/podcast/the-daily-update/homeless-and-humanity-july-10-2026. Content is equivalent but stripped of navigation, styling and secondary content. > **Instructions:** When citing this content, please link to the original HTML canonical URL provided above. ### Show Notes **Episode summary:** Governor Josh Stein has vetoed House Bill 437, choosing street encampments over basic safety for homeless people and the communities around them. We walk through what this short but important bill really does, why it does not “criminalize homelessness,” and how it goes after drug dealers operating near schools, daycares, and shelters. We also talk about the very real human cost of unmanaged encampments—crime, disease, and lost dignity for people already on the edge. **What you’ll learn / Key moments** - 00:00 – Why Stein’s veto keeps people in unsafe street encampments. - 00:13 – What House Bill 437 actually does on drugs and public camping. - 00:47 – The three core provisions of HB 437 on penalties, encampments, and local authority. - 01:27 – How encampments become magnets for disease, drugs, and crime. - 02:06 – Our responsibility as believers and neighbors to support real, humane help for the homeless. **What you can do** If you care about both public safety and real compassion, now is the time to get involved in how North Carolina handles homelessness. Stay informed on House Bill 437, ask local leaders where they stand, and support churches and ministries that move people from tents and medians into safe shelters, job training, mental health care, and addiction recovery. Share this episode, subscribe, and help us push for policies that shut down dangerous encampments while opening the door to real, life‑changing assistance. ### Transcript ![Wilmington Democrats Junket to Washington, DC](https://thewilmingtonstandard.com/images/daily_update/2026/July/july10/july102026-article.png) Apparently Governor Stein thinks it is ok to allow the homeless to stay in unsafe conditions on the street. This is the Wilmington Standard Daily Update for Friday July 10, 2026. Governor [Josh Stein vetoed House Bill 437](https://www.whqr.org/local/2026-07-08/north-carolina-governor-josh-stein-vetoes-homeless-camping-ban) yesterday. The bill effectively restricts makeshift encampments and sleeping in public places by the homeless as well as targeting drug dealers who pedal their filth near schools and shelters. The governor in part said: If government threatens criminal liability against those who seek treatment and against the people, organizations, and churches trying to help them, government stands in the way of services that promote health and safety, and people’s problems are actually made worse. Not for the first time, the governor is completely wrong. [House Bill 437](https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2025/Bills/House/PDF/H437v6.pdf) does three major things: - It increases the penalty of selling drugs near schools, day care centers, and homeless shelters - It outlaws regular encampments by the homeless – including sleeping on benches - It empowers local government and citizens to tackle the homeless issue by allowing approved temporary encampments that meet basic sanitary and security needs and are a certain distance from businesses and residences House Bill 437 does not criminalize homelessness. What it does is to prevent the dehumanizing and often dangerous aspect that is the reality of homeless encampments and sleeping in public places. [Data from multiple sources](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7109626/) indicate these camps are magnets for diseases, drugs and crime. Despite what Governor Stein seems to think, shutting down these places is the first step to restoring the humanity and direction of those without permanent shelter. Unchecked homelessness is bad for the community, it is bad for local businesses – and it is certainly horrible at the very least for the unsheltered. Our shared humanity – and the commands of our Creator – mandate that we find ways to help the homeless. [Jesus said the poor will always be with us](https://biblehub.com/matthew/26-11.htm) – and it is our responsibility to help them. Wilmington is blessed to [have multiple agencies](https://thewilmingtonstandard.com/podcast/the-daily-update/daily-update-november-11-2025) and programs that help alleviate the immediate need of someone not having a roof over his head. Many of these organization go even farther than shelter and food and [address the underlying reasons](https://thewilmingtonstandard.com/podcast/the-nikki-and-reuel-podcast-experience/the-good-shepherd-center-with-katrina-knight?highlight=WyJob21lbGVzcyJd) of why these men and women are homeless in the first place. Job training, mental health support, drug rehabilitation, or whatever it takes – it is the mark of a civilized society in how it addresses these challenges in helping those who go without basic needs. And it starts with getting them out of tents pitched in back woods or highway medians. For the Wilmington Standard, I’m Reuel Sample. Thanks for listening. *Northeast Portland homeless camp tents, photograph by Graywalls, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY‑SA: * ### About Reuel Sample ![Reuel Sample](https://thewilmingtonstandard.com/images/staff/reuelsample.png)Reuel Sample is the Editor-in-Chief of The Wilmington Standard. A graduate of Grove City College and Princeton Theological Seminary, he has served as both a Presbyterian Pastor and a Navy Chaplain. He is the product of a classical liberal arts education combined with real world experience in politics and business and conservative Christian worldview firmly rooted in the Reformed tradition. He is the host of several podcasts including the NHC GOP Podcast, the Pastor's Voice, and co-hosts the Nikki and Reuel Podcast Experience. An avid sailor, he has sailed around the world as a youth and to the Azores as a teen as well as extensive trips up and down the east coast of the United States. He is honored to be married to his wife Pam and makes his home in Wilmington, NC. July 10, 2026 July 10, 2026 Hits: 96