In summer 2024, the Supreme Court’s ruling in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson emboldened communities across the country to enact new measures that make sleeping in public spaces a legally punishable offense—effectively criminalizing homelessness. However, extensive research makes one thing clear: these laws do not reduce homelessness. Instead, they worsen the crisis by increasing arrests, creating barriers to housing and services, and causing lasting harm to the people they target.
This series of briefs from the Alliance’s Homelessness Research Institute summarizes the conclusions of nearly 100 studies on the topic. Advocates, policymakers, and everyday Americans should use this research to push back on local efforts to criminalize homelessness and inform effective and humane solutions instead.
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Criminalizing Homelessness Worsens the Crisis, Research Shows |
