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They’re hoping state lawmakers will be moved to act by a Friday deadline, but opponents say existing law is adequate.
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It’s been eight months since the U.S. Supreme Court fundamentally changed how cities in California and beyond can respond to homeless encampments, allowing them to clear camps and arrest people for sleeping outside — even when there’s nowhere else to sleep.
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Governor Gavin Newsom announced this week the state will dole out another $920 million to localities to combat homelessness. The new funds come with more accountability measures – some that have already drawn criticism.
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Cities across California have passed measures banning or restricting encampments following the U.S. Supreme Court giving the go-ahead in a ruling out of Grants Pass, Oregon. Now some attorneys who represent homeless campers are champing at the bit to put these new ordinances before a jury
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Outreach workers in the Bay Area city of Fremont worry the new ordinance could target them, despite assurances from the city.
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Every January, across the country, local social service groups set out to count the number of homeless people in their communities. Data from what’s called the Point in Time Count is sent to the federal government and used to decide how funding is distributed. JPR reporter Jane Vaughan recently followed one team in Grants Pass.
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The non-profit group Disability Rights Oregon and five disabled homeless residents have sued the city of Grants Pass claiming new camping restrictions violate state laws.
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On Friday morning, homeless residents dragged tarps and carried piles on their backs, heaping their belongings just outside the fence. They were given until 9 a.m. to get their possessions off the city-owned site.
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The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently released its annual report assessing homelessness across the country. California and Oregon continue to have large numbers of people without permanent housing.
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City leaders around the state want more authority to remove encampments they deem problematic. Homeless advocates say it’s a distraction from real solutions.
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Many California cities offer their homeless residents one-way bus tickets to other places.
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The city’s solution of two campsites has received criticism from a variety of groups.
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More than two-dozen California cities passed, strengthened or are considering ordinances that penalize people for sleeping outside, after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed cities to crack down.
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The June U.S. Supreme Court ruling frees up cities to enforce their public camping rules. Many are now reviewing those regulations.