A lot of the tents that once lined the streets of downtown San Diego sidewalks are gone, after about seven months into a clampdown by the city of San Diego on homeless encampments,
Presently, two California state senators (a Republican and a Democrat) have joined forces to announce a statewide version of San Diego’s rule, which allows police officers to harass many homeless people even when shelter is unavailable.
However, advocates for homeless people have said that the enforcement strategy has only chased the homeless onto riverbanks and other unseen places, as the shelter beds being distributed have failed to meet demands.
The debate reveals the growing urgency, as polls have shown that
homelessness and affordable housing are two of the most important issues to California voters.
The state has spent over $20 billion on housing and homelessness programs since the 2018-19 fiscal year but there are still over 180,000 homeless people.
The U.S. Supreme Court is all ready to weigh in on this prevalent issue. The justices are slated to hear arguments on April 22 in a case from Oregon that may determine the legality of enforcing anti-camping laws and other regulations affecting homeless people when there is nowhere left for them to go.
The justices will also be hearing an appeal by the city of Grants Pass in southern Oregon of a lower court’s ruling that found that local ordinances that banned camping on sidewalks, streets, parks or other public places breached the U.S. Constitution’s Eighth Amendment prohibition against “cruel and unusual” punishment.
