Graduation Year

2025

Date of Submission

4-2025

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Government

Reader 1

Michael Fortner

Abstract

Housing of the rough-sleeping population remains a pressing socio-political issue across the United States. This thesis examines the current state of houselessness in the wake of the City of Grants Pass v. Johnson Supreme Court decision. This ruling clarified the legal standing of criminalizing rough-sleeping, which represents a pivotal shift in the manner in which the law treats people experiencing homelessness. With a focus on the state of California–home to approximately one-third of the nation’s unhoused population–this thesis explores the health impacts of the criminalization of housing status. By situating this issue in both its historical context and contemporary concerns such as serious mental illnesses, substance use disorders, mass incarceration, and more, this thesis intends to demonstrate the manner in which punitive policies exacerbate health inequities. Furthermore, criminalization fails to resolve houselessness, as it neglects the numerous structural causes that underlie this issue. This thesis concludes by presenting alternative solutions to criminalization, with community-based and trauma-informed approaches that highlight the dignity and autonomy of the unhoused community.

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This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.

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