On Monday, April 22, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in Grants Pass v. Johnson, which observers are calling the most important case in decades involving the rights of unhoused people. At issue: can cities, counties, and states punish people with fines or even jail time who sleep in public places when shelter beds or affordable housing are not available? Or does such action by governments constitute a violation of the Eighth Amendment, which bans cruel and unusual punishment? 

Imagine losing everything you had. Your stability, your privacy, and in many cases basic respect from others. In 2023, over 653,000 individuals (about half the population of Hawaii) in the U.S. experienced homelessness.

As we mark Care Workers Awareness Month, advocates, political leaders, and the media are becoming more aware of the importance of building a care economy. Recently, PBS NewsHour embarked upon a five-part series entitled “America’s Safety Net.” The powerful series (you can find all five parts here) touched upon many of the issues we consider to be part of care infrastructure – Medicaid, Medicare, ACA, affordable housing, and the once-expanded Child Tax Credit, just to name a few. 

Crystal Gail Crawford already had spent 15 years in the child care industry and was working as a nanny when the pandemic hit. “I loved my job,” she said at the White House this week. “But like many of you, I lost my job during the pandemic. And then I was in a terrible car accident – suddenly I found myself without a job and (with) chronic back pain.”