Opinion Today: The push to criminalize homelessness

And a chance to hear the people who are usually left out of the conversation.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story April 18, 2024 By Lindsay Crouse Opinion Writer and Producer There are plenty of arguments over what to do about surging levels of homelessness in America — but there's one crucial voice that's usually missing: that of homeless people themselves. In our recent Opinion Video, the filmmaker Mark Horvath sets out to change that. Once homeless himself, Horvath has been interviewing people on the streets since 2008 as a way to add nuance to the public conversation about homelessness by showing the humanity of our other neighbors — people who are spending the hardest period of their lives mostly ignored. In the video, he shares a sample of these overlooked voices and stories with you. As the people he speaks to explain, they often ended up without a place to live through circumstances that are far more relatable than many of us might want to believe. One lost job, a missed rent check, and the spiral to homelessness can be all but impossible to escape. And once that happens, as Horvath says, how are you going to get a job if you can't even take a shower? This matters more than ever right now, as cities and states pass law after law that effectively criminalizes not having a home. On Monday, the Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in Johnson v. Grants Pass, the most significant case in decades about homeless people's rights. It will decide whether it's legal to arrest or fine people experiencing homelessness — even when no other shelter is available. Horvath argues that this is a mistake: Criminalizing homelessness won't make it go away. As for what homeless people have to say about their circumstances — how they got on the streets, where they hope to go from here — you have a rare opportunity to hear for yourself in the video. 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