(Updated April 26, 2024) WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Grants Pass v. Johnson on Monday, April 22, 2024. Listen to a recording of the session. The case relates, in part, to the Eighth Amendment protections against cruel and unusual punishment. The case highlights the issue of unaffordable housing and its consequences, including increased homelessness and encampments in residential areas.
Read More(Nov. 30, 2023) PHILADELPHIA – A federal court decision issued Nov. 28 protects the constitutional rights of Pottstown College Drive Encampment residents experiencing homelessness. The ruling granted a preliminary injunction, in part, for plaintiffs Better Days Ahead Outreach, Inc. et al. Judge Mia R. Perez, of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, cited the Eighth Amendment protection against cruel and unusual punishment as the basis of her decision.
Read More(Nov. 10, 2023) POTTSTOWN - Community Justice Project (CJP) and Legal Aid of Southeastern PA (LASP) filed a lawsuit Nov. 1, 2023 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania with the goal of preventing the Borough of Pottstown from sweeping a homeless encampment next to the Schuylkill River Trail along College Drive in Pottstown, unless adequate alternative shelter is made available to all of the College Drive encampment residents.
Read More(Aug. 30, 2023) VILLANOVA - Eric Tars, the National Homelessness Law Center’s Legal Director, presented a hybrid CLE, "Human Rights & the U.S. Attorney 101: Practical Skills for Using International Human Rights in Domestic Advocacy," at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law on Aug. 29.
Read More(July 31, 2023) Legal Aid of Southeastern PA is committed to providing free civil legal service to people experiencing poverty, including homelessness, and ensuring their constitutional rights are protected. In 2022, LASP began working with multiple community partners to increase access to justice for people experiencing homelessness.
