Why homeless enforcement efforts could become stricter in Salt Lake City
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A recent Supreme Court decision that allows local governments to ban sleeping in public even when no shelter space is available could lead to stricter enforcement of homeless encampment bans.
Why it matters: The decision effectively gives the OK for cities facing rising homelessness to enact similar restrictive laws targeting outdoor camping, Axios Portland's Meira Gebel reports.
Catch up quick: The Supreme Court on Friday sided with the Oregon town of Grants Pass, saying the city's enforcement of ordinances that criminalize behaviors associated with being unhoused — like sleeping or camping on public property or parks — is not a violation of the Eighth Amendment which forbids "cruel and unusual punishment."
- "Homelessness is complex. Its causes are many. So may be the public policy responses required to address it," Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in his opinion. The court voted 6-3.
Zoom in: Homelessness, which drives local politics in the western U.S., was a key issue in last year's three-way Salt Lake City mayoral race.
- The city enforces a no-camping ordinance on public grounds.
- Utah cities last year doubled down on unsanctioned camping to drive more people to shelters, per FOX 13.
What they're saying: "While the Salt Lake City Attorney's Office is reviewing the details of [Friday's] decision, Salt Lake City has and will continue to enforce local ordinances to keep public spaces open, clean, and safe for everyone to enjoy," the mayor's spokesperson Andrew Wittenberg said in a statement.
- "We will take the necessary time to assess how the Grants Pass decision impacts our efforts at both the state and city levels," state homeless coordinator Wayne Niederhauser said in a statement.
The other side: Homelessness advocates have decried the ruling, saying it causes further harm for the unhoused and doesn't address the problem of getting people off the streets.
In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said it's possible to balance the issue's pressure on local governments and the humanity of homeless people.
- "Instead, the majority focuses almost exclusively on the needs of local governments and leaves the most vulnerable in our society with an impossible choice: either stay awake or be arrested," she wrote.
The big picture: Utah has seen a 16% rise in people using temporary and emergency shelters since 2020 amid Utah's unaffordable housing crisis, per the state's annual homelessness report released last year.
The intrigue: Utah's first state sanctioned homeless camp, consisting of 25 pods that allow up to two people each, opened last December.