Statement on Grants Pass, Ore. v. Johnson
Transition Projects exists to help people transition from homelessness to housing. We believe that housing is a human right.
Transition Projects condemns the Supreme Court’s ruling in Grants Pass v. Johnson, which allows localities to arrest and fine people for living outdoors.
Lower courts have ruled that this punishment violates the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment. However, today the Supreme Court ruled that people may be punished because they cannot afford a place to live.
Criminalization will harm people in our community and make homelessness more difficult and expensive to solve.
Transition Projects Chief Executive Officer Tony Bernal shares, “After decades of federal disinvestment in affordable housing, this ruling compounds that cruelty by allowing localities to punish those our government has left behind.”
Numerous studies have shown that homelessness is predominantly caused by a lack of available and affordable housing. In Oregon, almost 90 percent of households with extremely low incomes are “cost burdened” (paying more than 30 percent of their income in rent) and at least 139,000 new housing units are needed just to address current shortages.
In 2023, there were more than 20,100 people experiencing homelessness across Oregon on a single night in January, of which nearly two-thirds — 13,000 — were sleeping outside. Additionally, Oregon had only 8,705 shelter and transitional housing beds, 11,405 beds short of what would be needed for everyone living unsheltered. This means that only 43 percent of the state’s shelter needs were met.
Criminalization does not solve homelessness. We need more supportive services, more rental assistance, and more affordable housing. We need to address the drivers of homelessness; including economic inequality, institutional racism, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of discrimination. We know – based on 55 years of work in our communities – that the real solution to homelessness is getting people into stable housing and providing the services they need, such as health care, including for mental health or substance use recovery, and assistance finding and keeping a job.
People are healthier and more productive, and our communities are stronger, when everyone has a safe, dignified, and affordable home.
Together, we can achieve a just community in which everyone has access to a safe, affordable home.
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About Transition Projects: Transition Projects exists to help those experiencing homelessness transition successfully into housing. Founded in 1969, it operates eight metro area locations, enabling our team of 350 employees to assist nearly 10,000 people each year through programs designed to help people survive the streets, find housing, and retain their housing. Transition Projects is the largest provider of publicly funded shelter services in Oregon. On any night, the organization shelters roughly 700 people, including individuals, couples, and their pets. For more information, visit TProjects.org.