Homelessness Crisis in Arizona: Housing-First Policy Not the Solution

Homelessness is not a constitutionally protected status, the Supreme Court ruled on Friday. The case, Grants Pass v. Johnson, examined whether it is constitutional to penalize the homeless for camping on public property. The court’s decision ultimately means there is no right-to-shelter provision in the Constitution and that city leaders have the authority to determine how city property is used.

This decision comes amid years of surging homelessness across the country. We often hear about the masses of people languishing on the streets in places like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City. But even outside coastal, left-wing enclaves, homelessness has climbed, and the problem demands better responses than the failed liberal policies.

RS

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Rachel Sheffield

Rachel Sheffield is a research fellow in welfare and family policy at the Heritage Foundation.

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Homelessness is not a constitutionally protected status, the Supreme Court ruled on Friday. The case, Grants Pass v. Johnson, examined whether it is constitutional to penalize the homeless for camping on public property. The court’s decision ultimately means there is no right-to-shelter provision in the Constitution and that city leaders have the authority to determine how city property is used.

This decision comes amid years of surging homelessness across the country. We often hear about the masses of people languishing on the streets in places like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City. But even outside coastal, left-wing enclaves, homelessness has climbed, and the problem demands better responses than the failed liberal policies.