Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/23pdf/23-175_19m2.pdf
Page Number: 48.0

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CITY OF GRANTS PASS v. JOHNSON 

SOTOMAYOR, J., dissenting 

“have  lost  housing  because  of  climate  events  such  as  ex-
treme wildfires across the state, floods in the coastal areas, 
[and] heavy snowstorms.”  2023 AHAR 52.  Further, “men-
tal and physical health challenges,” and family and domes-
tic  “violence  and  abuse”  can  be  precipitating  causes  of 
homelessness.  California Brief 7. 

People experiencing homelessness are young and old, live 
in families and as individuals, and belong to all races, cul-
tures, and creeds.  Given the complex web of causes, it is
unsurprising that the burdens of homelessness fall dispro-
portionately on the most vulnerable in our society.  People
already  in  precarious  positions  with  mental  and  physical 
health,  trauma,  or  abuse  may  have  nowhere  else  to  go  if 
forced to leave their homes.  Veterans, victims of domestic 
violence, teenagers, and people with disabilities are all at 
an  increased  risk  of  homelessness.    For  veterans,  “those 
with a history of mental health conditions, including post-
traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) . . . are at greater risk of
homelessness.”  Brief for American Psychiatric Association 
et al. as Amici Curiae 6.  For women, almost 60% of those 
experiencing homelessness report that fleeing domestic vi-
olence was the “immediate cause.”  Brief for Advocates for 
Survivors of Gender-Based Violence as Amici Curiae 9.  For 
young  people,  “family  dysfunction  and  rejection,  sexual
abuse, juvenile legal system involvement, ‘aging out’ of the
foster care system, and economic hardship” make them par-
ticularly  vulnerable  to  homelessness.  Brief  for  Juvenile 
Law Center et al. as Amici Curiae 2.  For American Indians, 
“policies of removal and resettlement in tribal lands” have 
caused  displacement,  resulting  in  “a  disproportionately 
high rate of housing insecurity and unsheltered homeless-
ness.”  Brief  for  StrongHearts  Native  Helpline  et al.  as 
Amici  Curiae  10,  24.  For  people  with  disabilities,  “[l]ess 
than  5%  of  housing  in  the  United  States  is  accessible  for 
moderate mobility disabilities, and less than 1% is accessi-