Some small Ohio cities are banning camping in public places. Here is why

Several small cities across Ohio are considering bans on camping or sleeping in public − local ordinances that would impact homeless people who live in outdoor encampments.

The trend comes on the heels of a key decision from the U.S. Supreme Court in June that said banning camping isn’t cruel and unusual punishment.

Later this month, the Newark City Council may vote to ban camping in public parks − a proposal that has drawn support and criticism. Downtown business owners and city leaders are frustrated with the ongoing problem and low-income residents are upset with their limited options. Newark is 40 miles east of Columbus.

In September, New Philadelphia adopted a ban on camping in parks, cemeteries or city-owned properties. Campers would get notice to remove their items within 24-hours. After that, police can clear the camp and issue misdemeanor tickets. The city is about 30 miles south of Canton.

Mentor, a city along Lake Erie east of Cleveland, adopted an ordinance in August that bans using bedding, cooking food or doing other living activities on public properties. Mentor officials described it as a public safety measure.

“This is not an anti-anyone ordinance. I want to underscore that publicly. This is just to address specific behaviors where frankly they will do more harm than good and in fact, place persons in danger,” said Joseph Szeman, Mentor law director, at the council meeting.

Anti-public camping ordinances are also being discussed in Toledo, Wilmington, Marietta, Brunswick and Belpre, according to local news reports and the Coalition on Housing and Homelessness in Ohio.

What is sparking this trend? In June, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 6-3 ruling upholding the constitutionality of a local law in Grants Pass, Oregon, that bans camping on public properties. The majority decision said it wasn’t within the federal court’s purview to decide how local governments address people sleeping outside.

The decision cleared the way for other cities to adopt similar bans.

In Ohio, 11,386 people are homeless, according to 2023 data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Of those people, 79% live in shelters. Nationwide, HUD reported in 2023 that 653,100 people were experiencing homelessness on a single night in 2023 — a 12% increase, or 70,650 more people, from 2022.

Marcus Roth, spokesman for the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio, said during the pandemic, fewer people were willing to live in shelters and moved to outdoor encampments. That made the problem more visible.

But once someone is unsheltered and living outdoors, they need more help to find housing and support services, he said.

“This criminalization path is tempting for politicians who want to make it look like they’re doing something about homelessness without actually doing something. They’re actually making the problem a lot worse,” Roth said.

Cities should avoid such knee-jerk responses and instead focus on expanding supports for unsheltered people and address the affordable housing crisis, he said.

Laura Bischoff is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.