When the Supreme Court issued its ruling in City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson, it gave cities the green light to use legal penalties in clearing homeless encampments.
To some, this verdict was a win for law and order; to others, a cruel setback for the poorest in our midst.
But either way you cut it, clearing or criminalizing homeless encampments will do little to solve our nation’s homelessness crisis.
What does help? Your unwavering support of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and our homelessness prevention programs.
I recently wrote an op-ed for Newsweek, in which I highlight some of the deeper issues at play in the homelessness crisis.
Such as: the majority of people facing homelessness today look nothing like the stereotype (drug addict . . . mentally ill . . . sleeping on a park bench).
The typical demographic profile of those on the brink of homelessness? Single-parent families — adults desperately juggling childcare and maintaining a roof overhead.
For those families, the costs and consequences of homelessness are long-lasting, and awful.
Once you understand that, you understand why homelessness prevention programs are an urgently needed ministry—and a crucial long-term investment for communities.
With the recent Supreme Court ruling, your generous support of SVdP work is more critical than ever before.
As Vincentians, we need to continue to look through a lens of compassion to see what’s possible and who needs our help in avoiding homelessness today.
John Berry,
President, Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA
All the US Supreme Court is to legalize the removing of the HOMLESSNESS problem from out of sight. Homeless persons are Human Beings, created in the image of God. They are our Brothers and Sisters needing help.
The court’s ruling sweeps the problem under the rug, out of sight, no solution.
These are Human beings, not pieces of trash which we can stomp over when swept under our rugs.
Thank You for this article and Thank God for our St. Vincent de Paul families..