Homeless services in Santa Barbara respond to Supreme Court’s decision to uphold bans on sleeping outdoors

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - Local homeless agencies are responding to the Supreme Court's decision allowing cities to enforce bans on homeless people sleeping outdoors, even in West Coast areas where shelter space is lacking.

In light of the ruling, leaders at PATH Santa Barbara are concerned about whether there will be enough funding and resources to get more people housed. 

“It was a shock and I think it there will be disaster consequences because homeless people cannot be criminalized for being on the streets," said director of programs Herschelle Milford of PATH SB.

The interim housing program team is concerned the ruling could lead to increased fear to an already pressing matter.

"It can stigmatize and criminalized and can create fear ... it can create other social conditions and  exaggerate aggravate already pressing problems," said Milford.

SB ACT is another nonprofit agency focused on providing resources to the homeless.

Their team believes the ruling will not solve anything for those unhoused. 

“It is a call for us to say this is all the more reason that we need shelter beds available, and we need low income housing available, because we want to get people off the streets," said executive director Rich Saner of SB ACT.

Despite the ruling, both agencies believe in continuing their efforts to stand for the dignity for all people.

“You can’t just legislate this away. You can’t just say let’s throw them in jail because that’s  A, penalizing someone for just being poor or broke or not having money which isn’t helpful, and B, It’s not solving the issue," said Sander.

“My hope … I would love to see an interpreted multidisciplinary response with all the possibly resources available to help people who are unhoused," said Milford.

The ruling comes as a rising number of people in the U.S. are without a permanent place to live.

PATH has issued the following statement from its CEO, Jennifer Hark Dietz:

"The Supreme Court’s decision in the Johnson v. Grants Pass case is devastating and will have disastrous consequences for unhoused individuals across the country, including the 181,000 people experiencing homelessness in California. Throughout our forty years of service across the state, PATH has seen how costly, ineffective, and inhumane criminalization and enforcement policies can be. An audit of Los Angeles’ 41.18 anti-camping policy found that after spending $3 million on encampment clearings, only two people were connected to permanent housing. San Diego instituted a similar anti-camping ordinance and homelessness there continues to rise. The status quo of people living outdoors is unacceptable, but we know what works—connecting people to outreach, supportive services, shelter and permanent housing. Punishing people for being unsheltered is cruel and will not put an end to our homelessness crisis. As an organization dedicated to ending homelessness, PATH will continue to advocate for housing and services, not handcuffs."

In a 6-3 decision, the high court reversed a ruling by a San Francisco-based appeals court that found outdoor sleeping bans amount to cruel and unusual punishment.