National Homelessness Law Center

BREAKING: In a historically shameful decision, the Supreme Court has ruled in #JohnsonVGrantsPass that homeless people are not included in the Constitution’s protections against cruel and unusual punishment. This ruling will make homelessness drastically worse and impact the 250,000+ people who sleep outside each night, as well as millions of Americans who are just one missed paycheck away from homelessness. Arresting or fining people for trying to survive is expensive, counterproductive, cruel, and simply does not work. We are enraged but unsurprised that the Supreme Court sided with out-of-touch billionaires and against the poorest among us. #HousingNotHandcuffs To truly solve homelessness, we demand the Biden administration and Congress invest at least $356 billion in transforming approaches to homelessness away from criminalization and towards proven housing-based solutions. Read our full statement: https://lnkd.in/eFy7GFuu

Who profits off making homelessness a crime? The Cicero Institute is driving a nationwide campaign to throw homeless people in jail, which benefits private prisons, surveillance firms, and militarized policing—while stripping away real housing solutions. "The Cicero Institute’s push to criminalize poverty isn’t just ideological—it’s a business model. By steering public money away from permanent housing solutions and into jails, detention facilities, and surveillance tech, Cicero’s backers protect their wealth and expand their influence. The more homelessness grows, the more they can justify punitive policies—and the cycle continues." https://loom.ly/pb8btNA

On May 1st, nearly 200 people will be up against the largest federal homeless eviction in recent history. Most people living in Deschutes National Forest, OR, grew up nearby and were priced out of their housing due to rising rents and at least 80 people have serious health conditions. Without offering people anywhere else to go or any supportive services, the Trump administration plans to forcibly evict the entire encampment under threat of 1 year in jail, $5,000 fines, or both. It’s no coincidence that this week, the Trump administration opened more than half of Federal Forests to logging. Again, profit is placed over people, and efforts to further harm the environment for the sake of billionaires' interests will hit homeless people the hardest. Just as forcibly removing 50 people from McPherson Square didn’t solve homelessness in DC, and sweeping 3,500 unhoused people in NYC didn’t get anyone into permanent housing, evicting 200 people from Deschutes will not decrease the number of homeless people in Oregon. This is a rapidly evolving situation that may prove disastrous for forest residents. https://lnkd.in/eZ_6cTmX

Extremely delighted to share our joint sub-national report, "Housing Insecurity and Criminalization of Homelessness and Poverty in New York, U.S.A.," which was submitted to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner today. In partnership with Northeastern University School of Law's Center for Global Law and Justice, it examines the scope of human rights violations perpetrated by NYC and NYS officials against housing insecure and unhoused New Yorkers. With immense thanks to those New York advocates and organizational stakeholders who lent their voices and narratives to its content, it weaves together intersectional perspectives of subgroups affected by the mass crises of homelessness/poverty #criminalization, and uplifts key recommendations driven by local campaigns. This content will be carefully reviewed by the U.N. Human Rights Council and country stakeholders in advance of the U.S.'s Fourth Cycle of the Universal Periodic Review this November. Really proud of this work on the human rights frontline, and looking forward to strategically and collectively building our #state and #local power in the months to come. Please feel encouraged to circulate widely! #decriminalize #povertyabolition #humanrights #criminaljusticereform #homelessness #evictiondefense #housingjustice #immigrantrights #genderjustice #environmentaljustice #familyreunification National Homelessness Law Center, Center for Constitutional Rights, University of Miami School of Law, Unlock NYC, VOCAL-NY, The Health & Housing Consortium, Refuge America, JMACforFamilies

Housing NOW! National Day of Action: April 22 at the Capital Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. On April 22, advocates will rally across the country to demand Housing NOW! We KNOW that housing + support ends homelessness, and we refuse to accept harmful budget cuts and mistreatment that only make homelessness worse. Join us. Take action. Demand Housing NOW: https://loom.ly/ygcPREA

The Cicero Institute name isn't well known yet, but the impact of its campaign to make homelessness worse is already enormous. For years, Cicero has been pushing copy-and-paste template legislation all across the country, selling it to legislators as a cure-all for homelessness, despite having zero evidence that their policies actually work. Cicero's goal is to throw homeless people in jails and government-run detention camps, and saddle them with thousands of dollars in fines, ignoring the common sense fact that arrest records and piled up fines only make it harder for people to find housing and jobs. The reality is, more and more people are being forced to sleep outside because millions of Americans can't afford rent and are just one missed paycheck away from losing their home. Billionaires wouldn't know anything about that, though. The only real solution to homelessness is making sure people have the housing and support they need to thrive. Is Cicero trying to criminalize homelessness in your community? Fight back against the Cicero Institute's cruel billionaire agendas by joining the Housing Not Handcuffs Campaign: https://lnkd.in/e3Mme7qM

New NYC data reported by Gothamist shows once again that encampment sweeps don't do anything to solve homelessness. They are expensive, traumatizing, and keep people on the streets for longer. The data also show 71% of the sweeps occurred at locations that were previously cleared. @NYCmayor Eric Adams has wasted millions of taxpayer dollars on methods that have never worked and will never work, instead of just providing New Yorkers with the housing and care they need to thrive. The cost of living keeps skyrocketing, wages aren't keeping up, and more people are being forced to live outside than ever before. The only real solution to homelessness is addressing the fact that most people are just one missed paycheck away from losing their home. We need housing and services, not handcuffs. https://loom.ly/nDffYl8

This Friday, all three Maine Law Journals are joining forces to deliver an exclusive presentation on housing policy in Maine. Join Maine Law Review, Ocean and Coastal Law Journal, and Student Journal of Information Privacy Law along with Law Center attorney John Salois to discuss the housing crisis and propose policies to address some of the most pressing needs of those struggling with housing in Maine and beyond. Topics will include eviction proceedings, rights of the unhoused, discrimination based on tenant data, among other critical issues and their potential solutions. In-person registration is full, but you can still register online here: https://loom.ly/vDSaXmg

Recently, ICE agents entered a homeless shelter and arrested one person. The Trump administration is inhumanely targeting immigrants, but the real driver of homelessness is the fact that most Americans can't afford rent and have no choice but to sleep outside. The only proven solution to homelessness is making sure everyone has the housing and support needed to thrive. https://loom.ly/wWX_L8c

Tomorrow! Please join us for Youth Homelessness Office Hours hosted by us, ABA Commission on Homelessness and Poverty and ABA Homeless Youth Legal Network. Reach out to index@homelesslaw.org for the zoom link.