Today, the U.S. Supreme Court announced its ruling on one of the most significant SCOTUS cases about the rights of people experiencing homelessness that the United States has seen decades. AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) and the Center for Housing & Health (CHH) are deeply concerned by the court’s ruling against Johnson and in favor of the city of Grants Pass, Oregon.
Johnson v. Grants Pass was a case originally filed in 2018, which determined that arresting or ticketing people for sleeping outside when they have no other place to go was considered cruel and unusual punishment and a violation of their 8th amendment rights. Between a lack of affordable housing units and a severe shortage of shelter beds Grants Pass – like so many other cities across the country – has been struggling to shelter their residents who are experiencing homelessness. Instead of working toward the root cause of this country’s homelessness crisis – housing – this ruling has now made it legal for Grants Pass and other cities and states across the country to criminalize people experiencing homelessness. This is a waste of taxpayer dollars and the city’s time and will certainly cause lifelong harm to those who are impacted by this ruling via needless arrests, tickets, and fines.
This decision deals a blow to the nearly 600,000 people experiencing homelessness across the country. Solutions like permanent supportive housing – a model that combines housing with supportive services a person needs to maintain their housing – are the ideal way to keep people stably housed. Criminalizing people for experiencing homelessness, on the other hand, will do absolutely nothing to end homelessness.
Our work at AIDS Foundation Chicago to end the HIV epidemic is directly tied to our work to end homelessness. We know that when people have access to safe, affordable, and quality housing, their health outcomes are drastically improved. This ruling will certainly impact the lives of people living with HIV and other chronic conditions who are experiencing homelessness. CHH is dedicated to improving health outcomes and reducing use of emergency medical services through housing. It is time for the United States to prioritize housing as one of the most important, if not the primary, social determinants of health.
There is much work to be done to combat decades of failed housing policies, redlining, and discriminatory rental practices that have gotten us to this point of crisis. This loss will not deter us from the work we are committed to doing. To join us in our fight to end homelessness in Chicago and Illinois, join our Mobile Action Network today.
