America’s homelessness crisis has reached a record high, with over 650,000 people counted nationwide, impacting cities and small towns alike. In Grants Pass, Oregon – a four-hour drive south of Portland – the issue boiled over into a fierce legal battle that went all the way to the Supreme Court. 

The case exposed a deep divide between the rights of the homeless and residents frustrated by encampments in public spaces, turning this town of about 40,000 into an unlikely focal point in a national debate.

The story began in 2017, when homeless residents faced $295 fines for sleeping outside – penalties Ed Johnson of the Oregon Law Center told me were impossible to pay for those already living on the streets. He represented the homeless in a 2018 lawsuit that argued punishing people for sleeping in public when no shelter was available violated the Eighth Amendment’s ban on “cruel and unusual punishment.” 

For years, those parks – nestled in residential areas near schools – became makeshift homes, with drugs, needles and safety concerns driving away residents. Former Mayor Sara Bristol recalls people sleeping in every park, while businessman Clint Sherf blames the lawsuit for putting “a big neon sign” on I-5, drawing more homeless to town. 

Initially, courts agreed, forcing Grants Pass to allow encampments in its 15 city parks. But over the course of years, the case went to the Supreme Court, which reversed that, giving the city the green light to clear them out.

After the Supreme Court decision lifted the injunction, the parks were cleared, but the victory was bittersweet – Bristol says the city still doesn’t know what to do with the homeless and has some responsibility. Grants Pass lacks a low-barrier shelter for people with pets or substance issues, leaving many without options.

For more on this story, watch "Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson” Sunday. Attkisson's most recent book is "Follow the $cience: How Big Pharma Misleads, Obscures, and Prevails."