Crisis in the Northwest: City's battle against homelessness could have dire effects for the nation

The Supreme Court on Monday will hear arguments in an Oregon case that West Coast cities argue has hamstrung their ability to address rampant homeless camps.

Grants Pass v. Johnson asks whether some laws regulating camping on public property violate the Eighth Amendment's protection against cruel and unusual punishment. A man lights a campfire in a homeless camp in Salem, Oregon, on Jan. 12, 2024. (Hannah Ray Lambert/Fox News Digital) Since 2020, Oregon's homeless population has grown nearly 40%, according to data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (Hannah Ray Lambert/Fox News Digital) Much of the state's homeless population is considered unsheltered, referring to individuals who primarily spend the night in vehicles, parks or other locations not typically used for sleeping.  (Hannah Ray Lambert/Fox News Digital) Hannah Ray Lambert is an associate producer/writer with Fox News Digital Originals.

The Oregon Law Center filed the original lawsuit in 2018 when plaintiff Debra Blake claimed Grants Pass, a Southern Oregon city of around 40,000 residents, was "trying to run homeless people out of town" by fining people for sleeping outside. Blake has since died and a different homeless woman, Gloria Johnson (no relation to Ed), took on the mantle.