Newswise — WASHINGTON– California and Massachusetts ordered the clearing of homeless encampments and capped family shelter space declaring “we do not have room” for the unhoused.The Supreme Court heard arguments surrounding homelessness in Oregon last term and upheld ordinances that prohibit people who are homeless from using materials to protect themselves from elements while sleeping within city limits.  

The Washington Post reported, “There is no comprehensive national data on evictions stemming from wrongful rent increases, but housing experts say they appear to have surged, as overall public housing evictions jumped after pandemic-era eviction moratoriums lapsed and agencies looked to recoup losses from unpaid rent.”

For more context on the matter, and possible solutions please consider Emily Benfer, Associate Professor of Clinical Law; Director of the Health Equity Policy & Advocacy Clinic at the George Washington University Law School. Benfer is a nationally recognized expert in advocacy and clinic practice in the areas of health justice, housing policy, environmental law, and access to justice. Her clinic practice and research focus on the intersection of social determinants of health, racial inequity, and poverty with an emphasis on housing and eviction law and policy.

If you’d like to speak with Emily Benfer, please contact media relations specialist Shannon Mitchell at [email protected]

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