By Gillian Brassil | Sacramento Bee
The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Monday over whether local governments that try to fine or arrest unhoused people for camping in public spaces when they have nowhere else to go is cruel or unusual.
It is the most important Supreme Court case about homelessness in 40 years, advocates say, and has the potential to affect much broader policy.
A decision siding with the small mountain community at its center could let officials nationwide penalize unhoused people for sleeping with as little as a blanket outside. California officials have a strong interest in the case as the state grapples with some of the highest rates of homelessness and housing costs in the United States.
Some hope that the court allows cities to ban homeless encampments while others hope it clarifies how they can regulate them.
Read more at: Sacramento Bee
