Deputy CEO Rob DeLeon’s Statement on the SCOTUS Decision on Grants Pass v. Johnson

The Supreme Court just found it acceptable in the case of Grants Pass v. Johnson, that someone who is homeless and using a blanket while sleeping in a public place runs the risk of being fined and even arrested. This result is not only counterproductive as a matter of public policy, but also morally flawed. We cannot arrest and confine our way out of our national housing crisis, just as we cannot make people who are homeless in New York City disappear by pushing them out of sight.

At The Fortune Society, we focus on ensuring people who have been involved in the criminal legal system have access to stable and affordable housing and we fight for this access on multiple fronts – by building housing, bringing litigation, and pushing to pass laws like the Fair Chance for Housing Act. However, our specific fight is part of a larger struggle. We stand with the larger national community of advocates fighting for the human right to housing, fighting for the recognition of the dignity and humanity of people who are homeless, and against the criminalization of people who are poor and find themselves with nowhere to lay their heads at night. We will continue to stand with this community of advocates to try to build the world we want to live in, because everyone deserves a home.