Skip to main content
APA NPC25 Main banner
AARP ad for their livability index
Tyler Technologies
ESRI
AECOM
Icon Legend
This session is not in your schedule.
This session is in your schedule.
Presentation Icons
Bus
Bus
Ticketed Event
Ticketed Event
Passport
Passport
Meal
Meal
Bicycle
Bicycle
Public Trans
Public Trans
Walking
Walking
Log CM for AICP

Mandatory Credits

Housing Challenges and Solutions

Grants Pass: Understanding Impact, Overcoming Precedent, Advancing Alternatives

Sunday, March 30, 2025
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM CT
Location: Mile High Ballroom 1-2
CM: 1 Law
Passport
Division Endorsement: Planning and Law Division
In Grants Pass v. Johnson, the Supreme Court overturned established precedent on the limits of municipal authority to regulate and enforce penalties for sleeping outdoors. This decision has and will immeasurably impact the unhoused. Although the ruling allows state and local governments to criminalize homelessness in response to the affordable housing crisis, there are alternatives that center dignity and equity and protect public health, safety, and welfare for all residents. This presentation:
  • Outlines the legal history and evolving case law that led to the Grants Pass decision;
  • Examines the essential legal tension: Eighth Amendment (and other civil rights) protections versus municipalities’ police power, authority, and obligations, underscoring how the ruling fails to address the root causes of homelessness;
  • Surveys contrasting precedent at the state court and municipal regulatory levels to help planners understand and navigate conflicting legal responsibilities; and
  • Highlights real-world, equitable alternatives developed through the collaborative efforts of local governments; nonprofits; and homeless, affordable housing, and civil rights advocates.
Learn how planners and communities can overcome precedent to promote public welfare and safeguard the rights of the unhoused.

Wordly AI Closed Caption Link

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand the legal history and evolving case law that led to the Grants Pass decision
  • Reflect on conflicting legal obligations and equity ideals faced by planners, land use lawyers, and local government leaders in navigating responses to homelessness and the affordable housing crisis.
  • Explore equitable alternatives to criminalization of unhoused and precariously housed populations.