June 28, 2024
COHHIO Executive Director Amy Riegel issued the following statement Friday on the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson case
“The U.S. Supreme Court just gave cities permission to arrest and punish people for sleeping outside even when they have no other options. That’s not just cruel and unusual punishment – it’s a senseless, costly way to make homelessness even worse.
When we ticket and arrest people for being homeless, we make it even harder for them to escape homelessness. Punishing unhoused people does nothing to address the root cause of homelessness – the lack of affordable housing. We can’t arrest our way out of the homelessness problem.
We stand ready to work with state and local leaders in Ohio to help implement a more effective, less costly, more humane way to resolve homelessness. Affordable housing, with supportive services, is only real solution to homelessness.”
