TOPEKA (KSNT) – The City of Topeka is keeping up with the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) as it considers taking action on the nation’s homeless issues.
City officials in Topeka are keeping tabs on SCOTUS this week as it considers a case that could impact homeless populations in major cities across the country. The case originates from the city of Grants Pass, Oregon and could lead to punishment for those found camping in public places.
27 News spoke with City of Topeka Attorney Amanda Stanley about the issue and how it could impact the local homeless population. She says multiple factors are being taken into account by city leaders in light of the impending SCOTUS decision.
“When the court is looking at that decision, what they are looking at is, did the ninth circuit get it right?” Stanley said. “Is there an eighth amendment constitutional right to be homeless?”
“Based off oral arguments, you probably have five votes that would say no there is not, and you have probably three really strong votes that would say there is,” Stanley said. “Nobody really quite knows where that sixth vote is gonna come from on either side.”
In Topeka, city work crews continue to enforce a new ordinance passed in 2023 regulating where people are allowed to camp in city limits. Multiple homeless camps are being cleaned out across the city, including several long-standing camps along the Kansas River. The camping ordinance includes language for the following:
- No camping within 500 feet of the centerline of any trail
- No camping within 50 feet of the centerline of any sidewalk inside city limits
- No camping within a levee-critical zone
For more news on local homelessness issues, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.
Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf
