An Oregon judge issued a preliminary injunction on Friday blocking the city at the heart of a US supreme court ruling on homeless encampments from enforcing its camping rules unless it meets certain conditions, as part of a lawsuit filed by advocates.

The decision by Josephine County Circuit Court Judge Sarah McGlaughlin, requires Grants Pass to increase capacity at city-approved sites for camping and ensure they are accessible to people with disabilities. The city is also barred from citing, arresting or fining people for camping on public property unless those conditions are met.

Mayor Clint Scherf expressed disappointment at the decision and the city is reviewing its options, spokesperson Mike Zacchino said via email.

Disability Rights Oregon, which filed the lawsuit, accused Grants Pass of violating state law and discriminating against people with disabilities. The lawsuit also includes five homeless people in Grants Pass.

The city has struggled to address the homelessness crisis and the parks have become a flashpoint, with many becoming sites of encampments plagued by drug use and litter.

In June of last year, the supreme court ruled that communities can ban sleeping outside and fine people for doing so, even when there are not enough shelter beds, which overturned a California-based appeals court decision.

After the ruling, Grants Pass banned camping on most city properties except designated locations by the city council, in an attempt to move the town’s hundreds of homeless people from the parks.

Upon taking office in January, the new mayor and city council members moved to close the larger of the two sites, which housed about 120 tents, and reduced hours of operation at the smaller site.

The sites were frequently crowded with poor conditions and inaccessible to people with disabilities, according to the complaint.

The city council member, Indra Nicholas, called it “unconscionable” to allow people to live in such conditions.

After the lawsuit was filed, the city reopened a smaller site and extended the hours people could stay. The judge’s order requires the city to increase capacity to what it was previously before the larger site was closed.

Tom Stenson, deputy legal director for Disability Rights Oregon, called the ruling a victory, and said it is not a radical solution. The court is basically saying for the city to return to the amount of space and places for people who are homeless that they had just three months ago.

Homelessness increased 18% nationally last year, driven by a lack of affordable housing, devastating natural disasters, and an influx of migrants in some parts.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/29/oregon-judge-homeless-camping-ban-ruling