The decision is a win for Western cities that wanted more powers to manage record homelessness. But advocates for the unhoused say the decision will do nothing to solve the larger problem
Officials in Atlanta and Denver believe that micro communities, unlike shelters, offer residents stability that, when combined with wraparound services, can more effectively put them on the path to secure housing.
Lower courts ruled it's "cruel and unusual" to fine or jail people on public land if no shelter is available. An Oregon city says that's hamstrung efforts to keep public spaces safe and open to all.
Thousands gather each year in Georgia and nationwide during the last 10 days of January to conduct the annual homelessness census that guides legislative, funding and support efforts. The Point-in-Time headcount is the most comprehensive census for sheltered and unsheltered individuals.
Lower courts have said it's unconstitutional to punish people for sleeping outside if no shelter is available. Cities say these rulings have paralyzed their efforts to manage growing tent encampments.
“We don't want to make the mistake of saying, oh, homelessness is causing the deaths when it's this underlying opioid use disorder," said researcher from the University of Georgia David Bradford.
An increasing number of children in the Chattahoochee Valley are experiencing homelessness, according to preliminary numbers from the annual Point in Time Count.
Chris Avell, a pastor from Bryan, Ohio, faced charges after turning his church into a quasi-homeless shelter, partly in response to the city's housing shortage.
