Reading time: 9 minutes
On June 28, the United States Supreme Court handed down a 6-3 ruling to overturn the lower court’s decision in Johnson v. Grants Pass. This ruling permits localities to issue citations and fines or even arrest individuals for sleeping outdoors, even if the localities cannot provide alternative shelter.
We Believe,
and extensive research demonstrates, that criminalizing homelessness exacerbates poverty, making it harder for individuals to escape homelessness. Instead of pursuing harsh measures enabled by the Supreme Court’s recent Grants Pass ruling, local and state officials should focus resources and efforts on housing first policies, increasing production, and improving market conditions.
Pursue Housing First
Housing-first policies—where individuals receive shelter first and then critical services—lead to an 88% decrease in homelessness and improve housing stability by 41% compared to treatment-first alternatives. It’s also been confirmed that housing-first approaches lead to long-term housing stability. Two years post-implementation, 62% of housing-first participants remain housed, compared to just 31% of those required to undergo treatment before receiving housing. Moreover, housing-first policies save communities significant dollars by reducing costs related to healthcare services and public safety. They reduce costs by shortening stays in hospitals, prisons, and substance use programs, allowing for greater human flourishing and reduced costs for the community.
Increase Production
There is far too little permanently supportive housing to meet the need. In California, there are roughly 125,000 people experiencing homelessness, with only one shelter bed available for every three people in need. Daily, even more people continue to fall into homelessness despite herculean state and local efforts and millions of dollars allocated to funding. In Los Angeles alone, a city that has invested heavily in the creation of temporary and permanent housing creation, 227 people continue to fall into homelessness each day, with 207 of those individuals likely to find housing. Nationwide, 650,000 people (about half the population of Hawaii) were unhoused in a December 2023 point-in-time survey, up 12% from the year before. Meanwhile, cities like Houston have found greater success with housing-first programs due to their strong housing production, which allows officials to house more people at far less cost.
Use Tools to Correct Market Imbalances
Research has shown that rental prices and vacancy rates are the two most significant indicators of homelessness. In cities with low vacancy rates and high rental prices, the market gets more competitive and homelessness increases. In a tight housing market, affluent renters and owners can outbid vulnerable residents for fewer homes, pushing more people to the bottom of the housing market and into homelessness. As a result, these market dynamics are why cities with an undersupply of housing have a much harder time finding housing for people experiencing homelessness. Reforms in land use and zoning rules, along with balanced calibration of other incentives, like density bonuses, tax abatements, and fees, allow for more homes in more places.
Don’t Succumb to Short Termism
Cities across the country are facing real and complex short-term challenges, and doing nothing can be politically unfavorable. But if lawmakers can learn to communicate effectively about why they choose to pursue evidence-based policies that focus on the root causes of homelessness, the nation can actively start recovering from the scourge of homelessness.
Advocate For and Utilize Federal Resources
Recently, the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced its first-ever PRO-Housing Grant Program winners. The program designed to help communities who want to build more housing do so more easily was oversubscribed by a ratio of 13 to 1. A new RFP period will open again this Fall.
Separately, federal solutions, such as the Up for Growth Action led Reducing Regulatory Barriers to Housing Act, The YIMBY Act, and the Build More Housing Near Transit Act can help clear the path for more housing.