Margot Kushel

Jan 3, 2025 | msnbc.com | Margot Kushel

Jan. 3, 2025, 9:45 PM UTCOn a New York City subway car in the early morning of Dec. 22, a man set a sleeping woman on fire in a brutal act of senseless violence. Her name was Debrina Kawam; she was a 57-year-old woman experiencing homelessness in New York City, trying to sleep and keep warm on a cold winter day. The story made the front page of many major news outlets. But left unsaid was how frequently people experiencing homelessness are killed — often while sleeping.

Jun 28, 2024 | usnews.com | Margot Kushel |Kat Duffy

Today’s Supreme Court ruling in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, which allows state and local governments to fine and arrest people for sleeping outdoors, is cruel and counterproductive. It does nothing to end homelessness for more than 650,000 Americans who experience it daily, but rather criminalizes a population that already faces daunting barriers. What solves homelessness is housing – not fines and jails.

Apr 18, 2024 | usnews.com | Margot Kushel

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday will hear arguments centered on whether Grants Pass, Oregon, can enforce restrictions on camping on public property against people experiencing homelessness, or whether doing so should be considered cruel and unusual punishment. But what gets lost in the discussions around homeless encampments in cities is who lives in them. Too often, those in shelters and encampments are frail older adults.

Apr 12, 2024 | freeread.causeaction.com | Margot Kushel

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments this month in Grants Pass v. Johnson, which focuses on whether a local government can make it a crime to live outside when adequate shelter is not available.        This case has resulted in an inaccurate and harmful framing of homelessness by suggesting that there are only two potential outcomes: either arrest those who are unhoused, or homelessness will become an inevitable and permanent fixture of the urban landscape.

Jan 4, 2024 | smdailyjournal.com | Margot Kushel

The latest Annual Homelessness Assessment Report by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said that 653,100 people experienced homelessness on a single night in January, a 12% increase since last year. California counted 181,399 homeless people, the most of any state. These numbers are devastating but expected.