Pushing homeless people away solves nothing

Published 1:30 am Saturday, August 23, 2025

The U.S. Supreme Court last year provided some leeway for cities dealing with homelessness. But difficulties remain.

As policymakers continue to seek a balance between the needs of residents and the needs of the unhoused, public safety, public health, quality of life and compassion must be the driving factors. As demonstrated in Grants Pass, Ore., that balance is easier conceived than realized.

The city of approximately 40,000 residents in Southern Oregon has become an unlikely focal point for the issue of homelessness. In Grants Pass v. Johnson, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 last year that city ordinances banning camping in public spaces do not violate the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment.

The decision bolstered the power of cities to fine campers or remove encampments. But telling homeless people to simply go somewhere else does not solve the problem.

Despite support from the court ruling, Grants Pass officials recently entered an agreement to ensure camping spaces for at least 150 people, settling a lawsuit filed by Disability Rights Oregon. The director of the advocacy group said: “This settlement represents a significant step forward in ensuring people with disabilities experiencing homelessness have places to rest, basic necessities like drinking water, and real opportunity to stabilize their lives.”

In other words, the issue is more complex than some people would like to believe. President Donald Trump last month issued an executive order prioritizing the civil commitment of homeless people suffering from mental illness and focusing on enforcement rather than a Housing First model.

This ignores the fact that the United States has a severe shortage of mental health facilities. The American Psychiatric Association reports: “Too often, psychiatric inpatient beds are not available when needed and people with mental illnesses end up boarding in emergency departments or being discharged prematurely.”

In response to Trump’s order, a statement from Vancouver-based Council for the Homeless asserts: “Rather than strengthening our communities, this order undermines the tools that are already working. The truth is: Housing and supportive services end homelessness. Evidence-based practices like Housing First and permanent supportive housing help people stabilize their lives without making sobriety or treatment a precondition for support.”

At the same time, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed by Congress and signed by Trump includes significant cuts to mental health services. Medicaid reductions, which take effect at the end of 2026, will make it difficult for mental health facilities to remain financially viable, likely exacerbating the problem.

All of this puts municipalities in a difficult situation. Cities may remove campers from public spaces, but that does not answer the sentient question: Where will those people go?

The Camas City Council is pursuing changes that will make camping on public property a crime. Officials in Aberdeen, Washougal, Battle Ground, Vancouver and Clark County have made similar changes in recent years.

“This addresses safe and accessible communities, stewardship of city assets, and ensuring a vibrant and safe community,” Camas City Administrator Doug Quinn said.

Facilitating vibrant and safe communities is the primary duty of leaders at all levels, and the removal of encampments that imperil public safety and public health is an essential part of that. But it will be self-defeating if unhoused people are not presented with a viable alternative.