Cities can clear homeless encampments even if shelters are full, US Supreme Court rules

State and local officials can clear and otherwise punish homeless people for camping in public spaces, even if local shelter beds are full, the US Supreme Court ruled Friday.

In a 6-3 decision, the justices reversed a lower court’s ruling that found it unconstitutional to enforce anti-camping laws against homeless people who have nowhere else to go.

This marked the most significant decision on homelessness the court has made in decades, as cities and states nationwide have struggled to manage the growing population of unhoused people. Homelessness in the US grew 12% last year to its highest reported level, in part due to soaring rent costs and other economic pressures.

This is a breaking story.