TITLE
Recommendation to request City Attorney to explore joining an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to take up a challenge to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Martin v. City of Boise.
DISCUSSION
Homelessness continues to be an active problem in the City of Long Beach as well as throughout the state. Even with the amazing breadth and scope of work we are able to do here in Long Beach to better confront this ongoing issue we still see incredibly concerning problems related to homefessness and the effects it has on our residential neighborhoods, business corridors, public spaces, and the City as a whole.
Our most recent Point-in- Time Homeless Count conducted January 24, 2019 saw a 2% increase in total homelessness from our previous most recent homeless count in 2017. This increase totaled 1,275 unsheltered people living on the streets, in cars, or other locations not meant for human habitation, as well as an additional 619 people in emergency sheltersand transitional housing proqrarns." City data also indicates that 52 percent of homeless individuals surveyed were currently experiencing homelessness for the very first time in their lives.
Again, although Long Beach has become a leader and a model of how other cities can best approach homelessness and the effects it has, we need to continue making progress. Our approach to homelessness is well beyond what many other cities in the state and nation are able to conduct, however, homelessness remains a growing concern in every part of the City and has wide ranging impacts, Long Beach has found our tools to address these issues to have been severely limited by recent court decisions limiting our abilities to enforce common sense City ordinances.
In 2019 the U,S, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals made a decision in the case of Martin v, City of Boise, This decision forbids municipalities from enforcing ordinances that prohibit public camping, unless those local governments can offer acceptable ...
Click here for full text