National Homelessness Law Center

BREAKING: In a historically shameful decision, the Supreme Court has ruled in #JohnsonVGrantsPass that homeless people are not included in the Constitution’s protections against cruel and unusual punishment. This ruling will make homelessness drastically worse and impact the 250,000 people who sleep outside each night, as well as millions of Americans who are just one missed paycheck away from homelessness. Arresting or fining people for trying to survive is expensive, counterproductive, cruel, and simply does not work. We are enraged but unsurprised that the Supreme Court sided with out-of-touch billionaires and against the poorest among us. #HousingNotHandcuffs To truly solve homelessness, we demand the Biden administration and Congress invest at least $356 billion in transforming approaches to homelessness away from criminalization and towards proven housing-based solutions. Read our full statement: https://lnkd.in/eFy7GFuu

The Law Center condemns Gavin Newsom's shameful executive order. These words from Angela Davis perfectly explain why: #HousingNotHandcuffs

New Coalition on Human Needs blog post from Khadijah Williams, LIFT's National Director of Policy and Advocacy. Her vulnerable and powerful accounting of growing up homeless shows how policies like the recent SCOTUS ruling can affect real people. Read here: https://lnkd.in/e6cR9eBT

I loved the library as a child. It was the one place I could escape to because many shelters closed to residents during the day time, even for families. The library was my safe place, especially in the summer, when schools were also closed. But sometimes, the libraries were closed. I could count on most libraries being closed on Sundays. Even when they were open, as a child, sometimes I wanted to play outside. Whenever I wanted to play outside, my mom would pile every single one of our earthly belongings into a shopping cart, and we would go to the park. We were always clean, but with our piles of bags, it was obvious we were homeless. Sometimes it was okay. Sometimes, police would come up to us, asking us what was up. Sometimes we were asked to move along. Sometimes we were fined. We literally had no where else to go, and we were so lucky because at least we were sheltered homeless. Thankfully, we had more sheltered nights than outdoor nights. Even still, even in our relative privilege, we were still fined. Even as I experienced immense trauma as a homeless child, I was still so lucky, and yet still so impacted by laws and practices that the recent Grants Pass ruling says aren’t cruel and unusual punishment. If you told me this ruling as a child, I promise you I would have broken down into uncontrollable sobs. Because being told we were breaking the law for simply existing, when my mom and my sister and I literally had no where else to go, certainly felt cruel and unusual. I’m thankful for the work of the National Homelessness Law Center, the Housing Narrative Lab, and many, many other amazing organizations for their advocacy and their continued fight to ensure the homeless have rights, dignity, and finally, supportive, safe, and permanent housing. Little Khadijah would be so grateful to know there are so many organizations fighting for the rights of people like my family. Though this ruling is a gut punch, I remain optimistic that we have the right people in the fight to make things right for our most vulnerable community members.

#JohnsonVGrantsPass The concept of crime exists to fuel the prison industrial complex, and has always been used disproportionately against Black, brown, and Indigenous people. The criminal justice system in the US is specifically designed to shield wealth-hoarders and corporations from facing accountability for their harms to humanity—for climate change, wage theft, abuse of the working class to name a few. The criminalization of sleeping outside will never solve homelessness, because homelessness is caused by centuries of racist and classist policies and a lack of social safety nets—housing, healthcare, fair wages. We can solve homelessness when we prioritize fulfilling the basic needs of all people—not of billionaires, corporations, or the military. #HousingNotHandcuffs #HousingSolvesHomelessness

@erictars, senior policy director for the NHLC, told UPI allowing governments to fine and jail the homeless will only worsen the problem. "Fining them for sleeping outside and throwing them in jail only creates further barriers." #EndHomelessness #HousingNotHandcuffs #JohnsonvGrantsPass #SupremeCourt https://loom.ly/BhDx0G4

Reuters: US Supreme Court ruling will worsen homelessness crisis, groups warn "We know that throwing homeless folks in jail or giving them hundreds of thousands of dollars in tickets keeps them forever trapped in a cycle of poverty and homelessness." -@jesserbnwtz #HousingNotHandcuffs READ HERE: https://loom.ly/9ABRSa0

"Surveys conducted by Pritzker researchers found that 'even for young people who have a voucher, geographical limitations and lack of support to locate and lease apartments make using the voucher difficult, if not impossible.'" https://loom.ly/_ErupBI

READ: Decline to Accept Ruling on Grants Pass vs Johnson -- co-created by poor, houseless, Black, Brown, Indigenous, and Disabled peoples from all four corners of occupied Turtle Island. https://loom.ly/jPGyHu8

The National Homelessness Law Center  is a vital partner in A Way Home America’s own work to prevent and end youth homelessness, so we wanted to highlight an upcoming event of theirs: Save the Date to join the National Homelessness Law Center at this year's Human Right to Housing Awards and celebrate the advocates and changemakers helping create a world where everyone has a safe place to call home! Look out for more info and become a sponsor today on our website. For more info visit: https://lnkd.in/gWtf4_tF #endyouthhomelessness #sotm #homeless #homelessyouth #housingisahumanright