“When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this
—you haven’t.”
THOMAS EDISON
Housing
Keeping the Unhoused Safe
When the U.S. Supreme Court issued its recent decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson, which held that municipalities can impose criminal penalties on individuals sleeping and camping in public, unhoused individuals across the country faced increased risk of being fined, ticketed, or arrested simply for being homeless. In many states, including New Jersey, the shortage of beds in homeless shelters prevents those who are unhoused from accessing a safe space to live and sleep. In order to protect this community, we represented a group of approximately 50 individuals living in an encampment in the woods in Toms River, New Jersey. The encampment was home to elderly residents, veterans, and people with disabilities.
We collaborated with community stakeholders to relocate our clients to safe, indoor temporary housing.
We worked closely with the city’s Mayor, government officials, and nonprofits to negotiate agreements to prevent the criminalization of homelessness in New Jersey. We also collaborated with community stakeholders to relocate our clients to safe, indoor temporary housing and connected our clients to resources that will help them secure permanent housing.
To further support the unhoused community, we represented a group of nonprofits that provide resources to individuals and families in need in Lakewood, New Jersey. Cristo Libera, Destiny’s Bridge, Food Angels, Lifting the Fallen Ministries, and Spirit of Truth World Vision Outreach have distributed holiday meals and other necessary supplies in the town’s public square for years. Recently, the town prevented these organizations from distributing necessities by requiring permits for their presence in the square. We negotiated an agreement with the city that allowed the nonprofits to continue their important work so that low-income and unhoused individuals had access to basic resources and other items that would allow them to have a holiday meal.
Photo by Bernard DeLierre