Overview

• Leaders from across the political spectrum are urging the Supreme Court to allow cities to clear homeless encampments that have proliferated during the pandemic.
• Advocates for the homeless argue that providing housing, not enforcement, is the solution, while city leaders say camps have made public spaces unsafe.
• A Ninth Circuit ruling limiting the ability of cities to clear camps without providing housing has resulted in unchecked encampments, according to the states.
• California has been particularly overwhelmed, with over 170,000 homeless residents statewide.
• Over 50 state and local governments are asking the Supreme Court to overturn the lower court decisions restricting their ability to enforce laws on public camping.