The Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) is encouraged by last month’s unanimous decision of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to reject a ruling made by U.S. District Judge David O. Carter that would have hampered efforts to advance affordable and supportive housing.
The April ruling responded to a lawsuit made by the LA Alliance for Human Rights against the City and County of Los Angeles. Judge Carter ordered the city and county to expedite emergency shelter for all people living on Skid Row without regard to resources already in the pipeline for permanent housing solutions and would have allowed unhoused people to be criminalized. The ruling also called into question public funds allocated through Prop HHH for the development of affordable and permanent supportive housing projects already in progress. In sum, Judge Carter’s ruling prioritized temporary, emergency sheltering over permanent housing.
CSH advances evidence-based solutions to homelessness that include aligning housing with services to more effectively address the underlying causes of individual homelessness and help people achieve long-term stability in homes. CSH acknowledges that people rarely choose to live on the streets and have no other options. Forcing sheltering and, worse, criminalizing people who are struggling, exacerbates a crisis, adds further trauma and does nothing to provide sustainable, practical solutions.
CSH looks forward to continuing the work with our partners in the city and county of LA for equitable solutions to the homelessness crisis that restore dignity and help people thrive.
Click here to read the court’s decision.
Click here to read an amicus brief filed by SCANPH in June. CSH joined the amicus brief that argued that Judge Carter’s ruling was not an effective solution to the homelessness crisis.
