Christopher Wemp’s Post

At Abode, we are concerned that Governor Gavin Newsom’s executive order today regarding the removal of #homeless encampments will fail to reach its goals and yield negative results for those who simply need a home. We believe today’s announcement is a call to action for our state and local leaders to redouble our efforts to end homelessness. Our stance on the issue of sweeping #encampments is clear: • #Homelessness is not a crime, it is a crisis – one that is a result of systemic failures that have produced fewer than 24 affordable units for every 100 people who need them. • In the Bay Area, some would have to earn as much as $78 per hour to afford a modest, two-bedroom apartment. (For low-wage workers, that would mean working up to five full-time minimum-wage jobs.) • We believe this nation’s laws should protect the most vulnerable people in our community – not threaten them. • Criminalizing homelessness is wrong. It is cruel, ineffective, and costly. • It worsens cycles of homelessness and makes it more difficult to find real #solutions. That is why we condemned the June 28 Supreme Court ruling on Grants Pass v. Johnson, which makes it easier for authorities to punish people for experiencing homelessness, even when there is no adequate shelter. Instead of punishing those in need, we would like to use today’s announcement as an opportunity for a call to action. Newsom himself called on local governments to house people and provide services. It is our hope that state officials and local governments will do just that – find and fund #sustainable housing solutions. As a region, we long ago moved away from the tepid goal of merely “managing homelessness.” Instead, we must keep taking steps to actually end the problem. We must urge leaders – nationally and locally – to accept the idea that just moving people around isn’t going to solve #homelessness. Sweeping an #encampment is no solution, if the individuals living there have nowhere to go. The solution to homelessness is #housing. Today, we call on local leaders to continue to work on that real solution, so that someone experiencing homelessness today will soon have a dignified place to live. #SustainableSolutions #HousingFirst #HousingEndsHomelessness

A very important read about the false promises of laws that would criminalize homelessness. In practice, these laws aren't reducing homelessness at all. In fact, they're creating chaos and making the work to rehouse people even harder. The reason is simple: because they are written by people who don't understand the issue at all, but do understand the political advantages of demonizing vulnerable populations. https://lnkd.in/ea2UCe2V

🚨 A small Oregon town’s homeless crisis is front and center in a landmark Supreme Court case. The ruling, set for April 22, could reshape how cities across the U.S. handle homelessness. This isn’t just a legal debate—it’s about protecting the constitutional rights of those without shelter. Pathways to Housing PA and 36 other organizations have signed onto an amicus brief filed by CSH, the Source for Housing Solutions, supporting the Ninth Circuit's decision to uphold the U.S. Constitution by prohibiting communities from fining or arresting people for merely sleeping outside when they have no access to shelter. The decision will have ripple effects nationwide, impacting thousands who struggle with homelessness. Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/eunfNesp

Helping those who have fallen between the cracks: is this not the high road? Beefing the police force to explicitly clamp down on a generation segment that is "lost" amounts to a step that is criminalization of the homeless? A short term knee jerk response by politicians to pacify the comfortable voter, yet long term, the article below advocates it is an expensive outcome. By the way, all those new police on staff draw very large pay, are union entitled, have large public service pensions. Overstaffing police could create a long term cost/tax burden problem (politician and taxpayer accountabilities become inflexible costs) even as they "solve" the short term problem by keeping the homeless on a leash. Life is bigger than that? We should have compassion on those who have lost their way, in my view, as a priority above excessive "law and order", and aim better for a balance that takes the wasted social potential of the homeless and gives them a second chance.

The #homelessness policy developments in the US are truly harrowing. The recent The Brookings Institution review by Hanna Love and Thea Sebastian shows how local municipalities, state jurisdictions, and now the recent Grants Pass Supreme Court decision are criminalising rough-sleeping homelessness. They even report that in Kentucky, state legislation prohibits "the use of state funds to provide permanent housing without preconditions (essentially blocking the implementation of the evidence-based “housing first” model)". And great overview of what should be the appropriate response to homelessness which has strong resonance with what we have argued is required to end homelessness (https://lnkd.in/gdH38xDs). And lets not forget the fundamental key to ending homelessness which is you must focus more than anything on the underlying systems drivers of homelessness.

The Supreme Court overturned the case of City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson. The ruling makes it easier to fine, ticket, or arrest people for sleeping outdoors, even if elected officials have failed to produce sufficient shelter or housing for everyone in the community who needs it. In the wake of this decision, the Alliance continues to publish resources and guidance 👇 https://lnkd.in/grz9bDX6. Advocacy at the local level is important now more than ever, as local elected officials will have the most impact on how a locality responds to homelessness. We must ensure they know that tickets and arrests are costly and counterproductive, and that the most effective way to end a person’s homelessness is connecting them to permanent housing and supportive services. How you can help 👇 https://lnkd.in/g3gcDCBh #NAEH2024 #EndHomelessness #BeLikeMike #Prevention #Diversion #FlexFunding #SCOTUS #JohnsonVGrantsPass #HousingFirst #HousingIsHealthcare

🫶🏼 This was a wonderful, sad, and insightful article, thank you for sharing, Dr. Charley Willison. I won't pretend to even remotely know the answer to our Nationwide homeless crisis, but I do agree, the answer isn't closing encampments, fining humans who have no source of income, or arresting humans who "reoffend". If there aren't enough homeless shelters, and there's wait lists for the ones that exist, what's the resolution here? 😔 My heart absolutely breaks for our homeless population, and the social worker in me understands this is a systemic problem, that's multifaceted, often tied in with mental health, co-occuring illnesses, and addiction, and goes far beyond a singular simplistic answer. If the Supreme Court rules in favor of Oregon, the message we will be sending, is that it's a crime to be homeless, and I can't imagine what that will do to the mental health and well-being of the hundreds of humans who already feel as though they've somehow, in some way, failed, because they're homeless. I wish we lived in a world that was far kinder than it is, but I'm grateful humans like Dr. Willison, and programs such as Public and Ecosystem Health, offered at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine exist, it gives me hope ♡. #homelessness #cornelluniversity #cornelluniversitycollegeofveterinarymedicine #humankindbeboth #change #supremecourt #socialwork #sociology #ecosystemhealth

⚖ The Supreme Court is about to rule in the case of the City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson, the first major case on homelessness to be heard by the Supreme Court since the 1980s. The case will determine the constitutionality of ticketing, fining, or arresting people for sleeping outdoors on public property, even if leaders have failed to produce enough affordable housing or shelter for everyone in the community who needs it. But let’s be real: even a favorable ruling will not bring us any closer to ending homelessness in this country. It will, however, make clear the responsibility of elected officials at the federal, state, and local levels to produce sufficient permanent housing solutions and shelter accommodations for every person in their communities who needs them. For that, we need significant investments in evidence-based solutions to homelessness – like low barrier shelter; affordable housing; and services at the federal, state, and local levels. Before a decision comes out, read the latest from my colleague Marcy Thompson for the National Alliance to End Homelessness. #endhomelessness #housingfirst #scotus https://lnkd.in/ew6-VvnX

Just Because You Can, Doesn’t Mean You Should It’s important to note that this case may prevent certain lawsuits. Still, it doesn’t force communities to take specific actions or actively engage in criminal punishment of unsheltered people. Instead, it makes it easier for communities to do that. Elected officials who insist on going down that path will quickly learn that it won’t change the realities of homelessness. Criminal penalties such as fines, tickets, and arrests make homelessness worse and cost communities much money that should otherwise be spent on housing, supportive services, and street outreach. With record numbers of people entering into homelessness systems for the first time (more than 18,000 people per week in 2023, according to new U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development [HUD] System Performance Measure data), we must remind leaders that what solves homelessness is housing, together with supportive services needed to help people stabilize in housing. And these are investments that benefit the entire community, not just folks who are experiencing homelessness. https://lnkd.in/e9_FqX5B

Last week, the US and California Supreme Courts issued two opinions on key cases that will impact homeless encampment management and financing for housing and homelessness solutions. The US Supreme Court ruled that an anti-camping ordinance passed by the City of Grants Pass, Oregon, v. Johnson - which enabled the city to clear homeless encampments - was not unconstitutional. This enables California cities to enact more ordinances to sweep homeless encampments and further criminalize homelessness. The last several issues of our monthly email newsletter have provided an ongoing analysis of the possible outcomes of a SCOTUS decision. Our latest article continues that analysis and identifies an additional California Supreme Court decision impacting housing and homelessness solutions funding. #housingcrisis #homelesscrisis #affordablehousing #SCOTUS