Can people be punished for not having a home?
CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — As the price of housing goes up, so does the number of people living on the streets.
According to HUD, as of 2023 there were over 650,000 people experiencing homelessness.
But depending on a pending Supreme Court ruling, those same people could be punished for having nowhere else to go.
Supreme Court to hear case on criminalizing homelessness
It all stems from Grant Pass, Oregon handing people $295 fines for sleeping outside.
The city argued that they want to make sure public spaces are available and safe for everyone.
Local advocates, like Sarah Johnson with ForKids, told 10 On Your Side that would only make the homelessness crisis much worse.
“The first thing that comes to mind is that’s not really a solution,” Johnson said. “That would exacerbate the problem that folks are facing when there’s not shelter resources available and would potentially create additional barriers for them to get housed in the future.”
Johnson said that living on the streets is already a traumatizing experience, saying it could be detrimental if a family was punished simply for struggling.
“ForKids specifically, we work with families, with children,” Johnson said. “So, you can only imagine the trauma and just, fear, and everything that’s going on with a family that is really doing everything they can — might even be working.”
She told 10 On Your Side that the organization receives more than 60,000 calls for housing help every year, saying it’s not a problem of people being complacent with their situation. Rather, it’s an issue of finding somewhere they can live.
“The current affordable housing crisis means that lots of folks cannot find a place,” she said.
Johnson said at the end of the day, this crisis can’t be fixed overnight, but there are ways to work toward a solution.
“It’s not housing only,” she said, “and so that means that folks need services, they need mental health support, they need case management, they need all those services to help them stabilize and stay where they’re at.”
She also said the community can help ease the homelessness crisis by donating to organizations like ForKids, or not opposing an affordable housing project near their neighborhood.
The Supreme Court is projected to have a decision by the end of June.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com.
