Oregon lawmakers urge Biden to invest in affordable housing after Grants Pass decision

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – After the U.S. Supreme Court's decision allowing the City of Grants Pass to enforce a camping ban, two Oregon lawmakers are leading an effort urging the Biden administration to invest in affordable housing to address homelessness.

On Friday, lawmakers sent a letter -- led by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), asking President Biden to advance "housing first" policies to help people facing homelessness transition into stable housing.

“Punishing unhoused individuals for sleeping outside when there are no adequate shelter or housing options does not solve homelessness or address its causes. It is cruel and cynical to impose penalties on people who may be facing real, human challenges like unaffordable rent, financial emergencies, or health and mental health challenges," the lawmakers wrote.

Across the United States, homelessness increased by 23% in 2023, and increased “even more devastatingly” in Oregon because of a lack of affordable housing, health care resources, and an end to pandemic relief measures such as rent assistance, Sen. Wyden and Rep. Bonamici said in a joint press release.

The lawmakers added that criminalizing homelessness disproportionately impacts Black, Indigenous, and Hispanic communities and worsens disparities in homelessness and incarceration.

“Punishing people for existing while unhoused, while no shelter or housing options exist, is demonstrated to worsen homelessness and can cost more than providing housing,” the lawmakers said.

Other lawmakers who signed on to the letter include, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Sen. Corey Booker (D-N.J.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Val Hoyle (D-Ore.), Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), and Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.)

Among their requests in the letter, the lawmakers also asked Biden to declare unsheltered homelessness a public health priority and to direct all federal agencies that own or manage federal land, and federal law enforcement agencies, to offer resources to respond to homelessness on federal property in the absence of housing rather than criminalizing people facing homelessness or clearing camps.

“The solution to ending homelessness is more affordable housing, which is most effective when combined with individualized and voluntary supportive services. Placing housing at the center of solutions to homelessness, as well as expanding programs like alternative crisis response, reentry services, and workforce development, is essential to creating realistic policies to tackle homelessness rather than prolong homelessness,” the lawmakers wrote.

The push to invest in affordable housing and address the homelessness crisis comes after the U.S. Supreme Court's late-June decision allowing the City of Grants Pass to enforce its camping ban.

The city initially tried to implement camping restrictions on public property; however, lawyers representing two defendants challenging the city ordinance, Gloria Johnson and John Logan, argued the ban amounted to cruel and unusual punishment, violating their 8th Amendment rights.

Ultimately, the Supreme Court sided with the city in a 6-3 decision.