Vancouver officials said Friday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding a Grants Pass, Ore., law banning camping will have no impact on the city’s approach to homelessness, according to a statement Friday.
“(The) ruling does not change the urgency surrounding the issues related to homelessness or our continued work on this humanitarian crisis,” the city said in a Friday news release. “The Supreme Court recognized that addressing homelessness is complex and best left — not to judges — but to the people and their elected representatives to regulate. This underscores the importance of continued thoughtful discussion on regulating the livability impacts of unsheltered homelessness in our community.”
Vancouver and Clark County have similar unlawful camping ordinances, under which citations send people to Community Court, a special court for people with homelessness-related offenses where they can engage with services to have their charges dismissed. Vancouver and Clark County are the only governments that cite people into community court.
The court moved into a new location on Friday, which will allow for increased capacity. If more people are cited because of the Supreme Court decision, Community Court might expand its docket in the future, said Beth Robinson, therapeutic specialty courts coordinator.
Despite Clark County adopting its unlawful camping ordinance in November, sheriff’s Sgt. Chris Skidmore said it hasn’t cited a single person into Community Court.
“Nothing is really going to change,” he said.
Deputies instead have used the ordinance as a tool to have conversations with people, informing them of the camping ban when they need to move along, Skidmore said.
Camas and Ridgefield also have unlawful camping ordinances, but city staff did not respond to The Columbian’s inquiries about whether the cities would increase enforcement in response to the Supreme Court decision.
Washougal Police Chief Wendi Steinbronn said that city does not plan to change its approach to enforcement. The city has had a restriction on daytime camping in public spaces since 2018, and enforces based on community complaints, Steinbronn said in Friday email to The Columbian.
Steinbronn said the city will continue to refer people in need of shelter to Council for the Homeless, “while recognizing the shelter space may not always be available.”
“Washougal residents are encouraged to call if they are impacted by camping in public spaces, and we will respond to the situation on a case-by-case basis,” Steinbronn said. “We are not looking to make mass arrests that fill our already crowded jail space with people who happen to be homeless. I’d like to point out that our officers know most of our homeless community by name and are always willing to help with the resources available.”
Leaders at Council for the Homeless, a leading housing nonprofit in Clark County, said they believe the ruling will exacerbate the trauma of homelessness.
“This decision is disheartening,” said Sesany Fennie-Jones, executive director at the nonprofit. “Fining and ticketing people experiencing homelessness will lead to incarceration and further exacerbate barriers to obtaining affordable housing. Criminalizing homelessness due to systemic failures is deplorable. We strongly encourage our community and elected officials to prioritize affordable housing and wrap-around services.”
Some homeless Vancouver residents told The Columbian Friday they were frustrated, confused and angered by the Supreme Court’s decision. Timothy Sadlier II said the decision is penalizing people who cannot access shelter or housing.
“There’s no common sense there, none,” he said.
