Disability Rights Oregon Signs Amicus Brief in Landmark Supreme Court Case to Support the Rights of People Who Are Homeless
Federally mandated watchdog organization joins members of Congress, law enforcement, faith-based groups, medical professionals, and academic leaders to urge an end to the criminalization of homelessness
MEDIA CONTACT
Melissa Roy-Hart
(503) 444-0026 | media@droregon.org
PORTLAND, Ore.—Disability Rights Oregon (DRO) proudly announces it has signed onto an amicus brief submitted this week in support of the plaintiffs in the upcoming landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Johnson v Grants Pass, the most important case regarding homelessness in the United States in the past 40 years. DRO is joined by the National Homelessness Law Center (NHLC) and a broad array of hundreds of organizations and public leaders who have submitted a total of 39 amicus briefs on behalf of the plaintiffs.
The case addresses whether current laws violate the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution by punishing homeless individuals for sleeping outdoors with basic protections such as a pillow or blanket—when no safe and accessible shelter options are available.
“People who are homeless are also overwhelmingly people with disabilities, and many homeless shelters are not accessible,” said Emily Cooper, legal director at Disability Rights Oregon. “Punishing people who have been forced into poverty by a severe lack of community resources and decades of discrimination won’t solve our homeless epidemic. Providing affordable housing and fixing Oregon’s broken mental health system will.”
“This case challenges us to face the reality that using things like jails and fines do nothing to solve homelessness and actually make homelessness worse,” said Jesse Rabinowitz, campaign and communications director for NHLC. “Punishing our neighbors who have no choice but to sleep outside pushes them further into poverty and makes it harder to secure work and housing. The overwhelming support from a diverse array of organizations that we see in these amicus briefs underscores the need for our elected officials at every level of government to solve homelessness with housing and support, not make homelessness worse by using jail cells and bulldozers.”
Resources
Background
Data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development shows:
More than 600,000 people in America currently experience homelessness on any given night, with nearly half—250,000—sleeping outside.
Homelessness is on the rise for both sheltered and unsheltered individuals in nearly every state.
According to the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, the unaffordable housing market is the primary cause of record levels of homelessness we see today.
About
Disability Rights Oregon upholds the civil rights of people with disabilities to live, work and engage in the community. Serving as Oregon’s federally mandated Protection & Advocacy system since 1977, the nonprofit works to transform systems, policies, and practices to give more people the opportunity to reach their full potential.
The National Homelessness Law Center (NHLC) is at the forefront of the fight against homelessness in America. Our mission is to fearlessly advance federal, state and local policies to prevent and end homelessness while fiercely defending the rights of all unhoused persons. We work to shape and advance policies at the federal, state, and local levels aimed at preventing and ultimately ending homelessness. By fostering partnerships, influencing policy, and mobilizing communities, the NHLC is dedicated to transforming how society addresses homelessness, striving for a future where everyone has a place to call home.
