Supreme Court Considers Letting Cities , Punish Homeless for Sleeping Outside.<br />On April 22, the Supreme Court will hear a case out of Grants Pass, Oregon, which has a population of less than 40,000, NPR reports. .<br />'Grants Pass v. Johnson' seeks to challenge two <br />9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rulings which found fining or jailing the unhoused to be cruel and unusual punishment when they have no other alternative.<br />'Grants Pass v. Johnson' seeks to challenge two <br />9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rulings which found fining or jailing the unhoused to be cruel and unusual punishment when they have no other alternative.<br />But Grants Pass argues that public health and safety are dependent on camping restrictions that are commonly found across America. .<br />The city contends that homeless encampments pose a danger to those living <br />in them, as well as to families and children.<br />This is because the encampments <br />are often filled with people who need <br />mental health and drug addiction resources.<br />Advocates for the unhoused say that criminalizing sleeping outside is counterproductive. .<br />Punishing someone for doing <br />something they have no control <br />over, no ability to not do, is not <br />going to end that status. In fact, <br />not only does criminalization not <br />work, it makes matters worse. , Ed Johnson of the Oregon Law Center, via NPR.<br />A criminal record and debt from fines would make it even more difficult for a homeless person to find housing, says Ed Johnson of the Oregon Law Center.<br />But many cities don't have <br />enough permanent housing to offer.<br />Grants pass could use about 4,000 more housing units, while the national <br />"deficit is in the millions," NPR reports.<br />The shortage has caused rents to skyrocket, which is a main driver of homelessness
