A Supreme Court decision that effectively allows cities to enact restrictive laws targeting outdoor camping could shift homelessness policies across metro Phoenix.
Why it matters: Last Friday’s decision, seen by some as one of the most consequential legal rulings on homelessness, opens the door for cities to pursue more stringent regulations against public camping.
The big picture: Unsheltered homelessness has spiked in metro Phoenix over the past several years, and cities have relied on a 2019 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling to shape their policies around encampment cleanups and removals.
- That ruling found it was unconstitutional and “cruel and unusual punishment” to arrest or cite someone for sleeping outside if there were no available shelter beds.
Driving the news: The latest decision from the Supreme Court reverses the lower court’s ruling and comes as a blow to groups like the American Civil Liberties Union and National Homelessness Law Center, which have sought to establish protections for the growing number of homeless Americans .