Condemning the Supreme Court's decision to allow the criminalization of homelessness in Grants Pass v. Johnson, and reaffirming the City of Philadelphia's commitment to housing as a human right.

Condemning the Supreme Court’s decision to allow the criminalization of homelessness in Grants Pass v. Johnson , and reaffirming the City of Philadelphia’s commitment to housing as a human right. WHEREAS, The United States Supreme Court issued a ruling in the case of Grants Pass v. Johnson , permitting the city of Grants Pass to criminalize people who do not have homes, even though there were no open shelter beds; and WHEREAS, That ruling came in spite of a long history of Supreme Court precedent prohibiting the criminalization of a status, such as addiction or homelessness. When cities do not have enough beds for every person experiencing homelessness, ordinances criminalizing camping inherently criminalize people who do not have beds. Cities that follow these ordinances are throwing people into jail for simply not having a bed to sleep in; and WHEREAS, Research has conclusively shown that the best long-term and most cost-effective solution to problems related to homelessness is a housing-first approach that prioritizes deeply affordable housing and placing people in long-term supportive housing environments. Incarceration leads to problems like inability to secure housing or a job, and forced treatment programs double the risk of death for people suffering from addiction; and WHEREAS, Media coverage from The Kensington Voice has highlighted some of the brutal consequences of criminalization; 34 people were arrested, with the Philadelphia Department of Prisons prepared for i…