Local Advocates Addressing Homelessness in Wake of Supreme Court Ruling

Marlee Blattner spoke about her experience as a person in recovery and formerly unhoused.

Housing advocates held a press conference Saturday to address the recent Supreme Court decision that allows municipalities to arrest and fine individuals for sleeping outdoors.

The decision, Grants Pass v. Johnson provoked local advocates to form a group–Rochester Grants Pass Resistance–to address how Rochester’s homeless community could be impacted. 

The Supreme Court found that laws prohibiting those who are homeless from utilizing grounds for “camping out” does not constitute cruel and inhumane punishment according to the Eighth Amendment, allowing municipalities to arrest and fine individuals for sleeping outdoors, even when there are no shelters available.

“We anticipate that this decision will have a significant impact on Monroe County’s population of houseless individuals. We note alarming impacts of the Grants Pass decision in other cities: San Francisco is preparing for more aggressive encampment sweeps that could include criminal penalties, and Portland has enacted a long-planned city camping ban,” noted Amy D’Amico.

“We want to protect the houseless individuals living in our community from facing similar consequences as a result of this decision.”

As this group assembled they expressed their concerns about shelters barriers and the problems with them. Why is it so difficult for homeless individuals to enter shelters? Several speakers on the platform explained, from experience, how difficult it is to get into the facility due to lack of accessibility to handicapped individuals, not allowing support animals or couples that are not married. 

“We are calling for low barrier shelters to get people off of the streets and into shelters so they can find a home,” local advocate Brett Arnold said.

In addition, the group addressed availability issues and service challenges like burned out staff which they say ultimately leads to mistreatment, etc.

Advocate Oscar Brewer challenged Mayor Malik Evans and council members County Executive Adam Bellow to “Do what you’ve been saying to the  community and build these bridges we are not seeing built.”

He also addressed Council Member Miguel Malendez concerning the Good Cause Eviction and how he feels it “would alleviate the amount of unhoused population.” 

Lastly, Brewer addressed council member Michael Patterson who represents the North-East district, “My brothers and sisters who are forced to live on these streets are not the reason crime is so high. Walk your district and you would know why it’s so messed up.” 

Amongst the attendees was Monroe County Legislator Rachel Barnhart. “I agree with the demands that are being made by the Grants Pass Resistance groups. Monroe County knows what to do to alleviate homelessness and are making conscious choices not to do that,” She explained. 

“We’re going to end the year with a $169 Million surplus. We are voting next month to transfer $6 Million out of human services to other funds when we have a backlog of cases when we have a problem with homelessness. We have children that are homeless and I think we can make better choices with these dollars with our policies."

The press conference was concluded with a list of demands presented by advocate Isabel Rosa.

The list includes:

• Make a municipal commitment not to arrest or fine people for sleeping in public areas.

• Stop criminalizing poverty

• Stop the sweeps of the homeless encampments, including ending confiscation of personal property

• Provide housing for all. An apartment for each houseless person

• Create no barrier shelter. Meet people where they are. 

• Fund housing for all. Direct tax on rental income or a countywide tax on sale of property.

• Create a housing taskforce to advise policy changes over prevention centers, overhaul DHS sanctions, and mental health community based housing funding and housing vouchers.

“Right now I'm working with colleagues and the Bello administration’s legal department to see what we might be able to do legally to Incorporate some of these demands in terms of criminalization and homelessness specifically to the Grants Pass decision,” Barnhart said.