In a matter of days the United States Supreme Court will decide Johnson v. Grants Pass. But no matter what it rules, one thing is for sure, it will not solve America’s homelessness and housing crisis.Johnson is the case the court is reviewing to determine if cities have the right to cite or even jail a homeless person for having a blanket, a pillow or a piece of cardboard when sleeping outside.
The University of California San Francisco, in its comprehensive report on homelessness, discovered that more than 90% of unhoused people in a community are people who were once housed there and contributing to community life and they could do it again, if given the chance. And we’ve learned that most unhoused people don’t suffer from addiction or mental illness when they become homeless, 75 to 80%, in fact. Those who do suffer from such maladies can be helped.