Mayor Terry Says New Supreme Court Ruling Won’t Change Policy in Evansville

Yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling in the case of Johnson vs. Grant’s Pass, allowing municipalities to arrest or fine homeless individuals for sleeping outside, will not lead Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terry to pursue any policy changes locally.

“Today’s ruling sets a dangerous precedent toward criminalizing homelessness by allowing cities to treat sleeping on the streets as a criminal matter,” Mayor Terry said. “In Evansville, our goal is to help those who are most vulnerable – to offer the programs, services, and opportunities they need to improve their circumstances. Today’s Supreme Court ruling will not change that.”

In her first six months in office, Mayor Terry has made affordable housing a centerpiece of her administration. During her first State of the City address, she committed to adding $250,000 to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, bringing the total allocation to that fund to $750,000 in 2024. She also recently announced the creation of the $500,000 Forward Together Grant Fund, where qualified nonprofits can apply for up to $35,000 each to support programs that help revitalize neighborhoods and lift people out of poverty.

She also has continued to work alongside the Evansville-Vanderburgh Commission on Homelessness, which also expressed disappointment at today’s Supreme Court ruling.

“The Evansville-Vanderburgh Commission on Homelessness is disappointed in the decision by the United States Supreme Court to deny Constitutional protections from arrest for those sleeping outside due to not having other housing options,” said Chris Metz, administrator of the Commission. “This only raises the stakes for local leaders, in Evansville and communities and across the country, to continue developing housing solutions for our most vulnerable community members. Homelessness is not a crime; it is a social problem that requires humane and compassionate solutions.”

In the wake of the ruling, Evansville will continue to work in partnership with the Commission and the numerous local organizations who serve the homeless to further those humane and compassionate solutions. Meanwhile, the Evansville Police Department will continue to do outreach to the unhoused population through its Homeless Liaison Officers, who spend time on the streets every day attempting to work with the unhoused.

“Through our Crime Prevention Unit, we have created the E3 initaitive, which means that we approach the populations we serve through education, encouragement, and then enforcement,”  said Officer Mario Reid, homelessness liaison officer for the EPD. “That will continue to be our philosophy and mode of operation for serving our population of individuals who have scarcity of housing.”