LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 10: Calvin Hall, 63, has been homeless for four years after the homeless encampment under Highway 110 was dismantled by the City of Los Angeles for the Summit of the Americas , he was returning from shopping at a grocery store. (Alan J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Alan J. Cockroach | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images
Across California, homeless encampments beneath city streets, parks and highways have become one of the most visible symbols of the state’s massive challenge with affordable housing. Government officials are now using their newfound powers to address the problem.
At the end of June, the U.S. Supreme Court, with a conservative majority voting together, ruled 6 to 3 that the city allow execution There are fines and arrests for people camping and sleeping rough in public spaces, and the threat of jail time for those who repeatedly refuse to move indoors and receive assistance.
The ruling overturns a 2022 appeals court ruling that favored a group of homeless people in the small Oregon city of Grants Pass.
Following the ruling, California Governor Gavin Newsom applauded the clarity outlined in the ruling and offered executive order In July, local governments were urged to “formulate their own policies to address refugee camp issues with compassion, concern and urgency.”
The order includes guidance for a state where more than 181,000 people will be homeless by 2023. statement In June, the court’s ruling “eliminates legal ambiguity that has tied the hands of local officials for years and limited them from taking common-sense steps to protect the safety and well-being of our communities.”
Newsom signed two new laws into law on Tuesday. One is to make it easier for service providers to house homeless people in private hotels and motels for more than 30 days, and the other is to speed up the process of local governments building primary accessory housing units.
California had nearly one-third of the nation’s homeless population last year, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The state has invested $27 billion over the past five years to address the homelessness crisis, including $1 billion in encampment solutions.
California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) speaks to members of the press on the day of the first presidential debate hosted by CNN on June 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Marco Bello | Reuters
San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who is in the midst of a tight re-election campaign, responded to the executive order by clearing encampments and offering bus passes out of the city. Breed’s order cited data from this year’s point-in-time count, which found that 40% of the city’s homeless population came from elsewhere in California or out of state, up from 28% in 2019.
Breed’s challengers, including Levi’s heir Daniel Lurie and former mayor pro tem Mark Farrell, told CNBC there was a need for safer streets and a move away from public camping. Lurie said he plans to build 1,500 shelter beds in his first six months in office. Farrell called for more police enforcement in areas struggling with drugs and homelessness, and Increase incentives for small businesses and affordable housing.
‘A real hit’
This changing approach has also been criticized.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the Supreme Court ruling “should never be an excuse for cities across the country to try to solve this problem through arrests or hide the homeless crisis in neighboring cities or jails.”
Bass has publicly called for more housing and shelter beds and support services for homeless people, saying criminalizing these behaviors or trying to push them away “would cost taxpayers more than actually solving the problem.” high”.
Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of the San Francisco-based Coalition for the Homeless, called the ruling “a real blow.”
Her group’s goal is to seek permanent solutions to homelessness through advocacy and ballot measures. Before the Supreme Court ruling, homeless public campers could not be fined if shelter was not provided.
“It’s a protection, and at least the local municipality has to try to provide them with a place to sleep,” Friedenbach said. “They literally have nowhere to go, so when these operations happen, (the sweeps) usually infuriate those who don’t have a place to sleep.” Homeless people make the situation worse.”
Breed and Bass both advocate for more affordable housing and shelter. In 2022, the California Department of Housing and Community Development found that at least 2.5 million new housing units would need to be built by 2030, at least 1 million of which would be for low-income households.
Failure to act can have wide-ranging economic consequences. The National Alliance to End Homelessness found in 2017 that a chronically homeless person cost taxpayers an average of $35,578 per year, with costs reduced Nearly half are housed in supportive housing.
Adrian Covert, senior vice president of public policy at the nonprofit Bay Area Council, said one solution is to increase temporary housing.
“We know we can’t build permanent housing in California faster than our broken housing market is creating homelessness due to housing shortages,” Covert told CNBC. “You have to have a place for them to go, So they don’t have to deal with the trauma of being on the streets. That’s where temporary housing comes into play.”
watch: California responds to Supreme Court ruling on encampments
