ORLANDO, Fla. — All eyes in Washington D.C. on Monday as the Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments and soon issue a decision regarding homelessness encampment bans that went into effect across the country – including here in our area.
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The debate will determine whether local governments will be able to enforce those bans or not, amidst an increasing number of unhoused Americans.
According to the Homeless Services Network, the number of unsheltered people in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties was 426 in 2022, and jumped to 587 in 2023.
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The debate comes to the national spotlight after a homeless encampment ban was enacted in Grants Pass, Oregon.
Two federal courts put the measure on hold after finding it “cruel and unusual punishment” under the Eighth Amendment to ticket people with no alternative to survive.
Right now, at least three cities in Central Florida - Orlando, Altamonte Springs, and DeLand - have measures in place that ban people from sleeping in public spaces, but that could change depending on what the Supreme Court decides.
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Back in March, Governor Ron DeSantis also signed a new law making it illegal for people to camp out on streets, sidewalks, and parks… encouraging them to move to state-approved sites with homeless services. “Just to criminalize homelessness isn’t going to take care of the homeless problem. What it will do is it will use up our law enforcement doing that instead of what their job actually is,” said Matthew’s Hope CEO Scott Billue.
The landmark decision will be the most critical ruling addressing homelessness in decades and is expected to influence how every city in the country deals with the issue. The debate is the first item on the SCOTUS agenda for Monday.
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