Commonwealth Policy Center

The Supreme Court has ruled that cities can ban people from sleeping in public places. The six conservative justices sided with an Oregon city, noting the dramatic negative effects of camping on both public safety and the homeless themselves. The Court also said that federal judges cannot take responsibility for homelessness from cities. The decision also upholds a similar law: the Safer Kentucky Act. Last year, the city of Louisville spent $842,000 cleaning up encampments out of concerns to preserve health and safety of its citizens. Opponents claim that the law “criminalizes homelessness,” but the law intends to preserve the health, safety, and welfare of our public places. And the U.S. Supreme Court agreed.