The high cost of criminalizing homelessness

Ahead of the pivotal Johnson v. Grants Pass Supreme Court hearing, we surveyed 170 Built for Zero leaders to uncover the impacts of criminalizing homelessness.

Next week, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear Gloria Johnson, et al. v. Grants Pass, Oregon. The case poses the question: can cities criminalize people for sleeping on the street even when no shelter is available?

We turned to Built for Zero leaders on the frontlines to learn what works to solve homelessness and what obstacles stand in the way.?

When asked about the impact of ticketing, arrests, or other criminalization actions to address homelessness, an overwhelming majority of respondents said it resulted in psychological trauma, the loss of vital documents, and the erosion of trust with support organizations, making it harder for people to access housing.

What has worked best to reduce the number of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness? Leaders pointed to collaboration among community organizations, data to power solutions, and targeted investments.?

Here's what else we found.

? Use your voice

Join us for a Twitter storm as we pool our collective voices and get the hashtags #JohnsonVGrantsPass and #HomelessnessIsSolvable trending.?

??? Monday, April 22

? 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET | 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. PT

Take action!

?? Bright spot

"Our community stopped using punitive interventions and started investing in more temporary and permanent housing options about 10 years ago," said Pamela Qualls from Pinellas County, Florida, in her survey response.

"The trend in our homelessness, except for anomalies during difficult times, has been downward."

??? In the news

Explore the impact of climate change on homelessness and how we can address key concerns.

?? What we’re watching

From the New York Times Opinion: Criminalizing homelessness won't make it go away.?

?? ICYMI

Five key learnings from the movement to solve homelessness.