by Dr. Katrina Green
There have been so many egregious Supreme Court rulings in the last few years that it’s getting tough to keep track of them all. From overturning Roe two years ago, to this years rulings legalizing bump stocks and giving Presidential immunity from prosecution of crimes committed while in office, there are so many reasons to be outraged at the highest court in our country.
One ruling has really gnawed at me more than the rest, and that was the SCOTUS ruling that homelessness can be criminalized.
I have been blessed to come from a family of means. We never had to worry about the roof over our heads or where we were getting our next meal. But for many people in the US, this is a very real concern. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the homeless population has been on the rise ever since 2017, reaching a record high in 2022.
Who are the people who make up the unhoused community? They are veterans, people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and some are people suffering from severe mental illness. My heart breaks every time I treat one of the members of the Nashville homeless community that served in our military, only to end up on the streets.
The solutions to homelessness are as varied and complex as are the causes of housing insecurity. How do we fix poverty? How do we ensure everyone in our country is housed, safe and healthy? I don’t all have the answers to these difficult questions. But I know damn sure that arresting homeless people who have nowhere to go and saddling them with a criminal record will not help them one bit. And the legislators who propose policies like this need to take a good hard look in the mirror at themselves, especially the ones who claim to be people of faith.
I grew up in the church and I never learned in Sunday school that Jesus shunned or turned away anyone. I was taught to love your neighbor, help people less fortunate than you and treat everyone with kindness. It’s infuriating to me to see politicians who claim to be Christian passing laws that hurt the most vulnerable populations in our country. And the SCOTUS members who also claim piety but then rule that it’s ok to throw homeless people in jail for the crime of sleeping outdoors.
As an emergency physician, I care for homeless or unhoused people on every shift I work in the emergency department. Many of them have untreated chronic health problems like mental health issues, substance use disorders and any number of conditions related to being unhoused (i.e. malnutrition, heat exhaustion, dehydration, frostbite, trench foot, poor dentition, etc). Knowing there’s only so much we can do for them is a source of moral injury for those of us who work in emergency medicine. We do the best we can in our ERs but there’s not a lot we can do other than make sure they’re medically and mentally stable, give them something to eat and drink, a safe place to sleep and a bus pass in the morning. But we’re clearly only putting a band aid on a hemorrhaging wound.
There is so much more we could do for the homeless population that, having nowhere else to go, presents to the ERs all over the country. We need to decide as a nation, state, county, city, or municipality to invest in the care of those most vulnerable among us. Every ER should have a dedicated case manager and social worker to help our homeless patients access services and assistance programs. Homeless shelters need more funding to expand their services and keep their doors open after hours so people have somewhere to go after 10pm when most shelters close their doors for the night. And churches who claim tax exemptions need to do more to help or pay taxes so our government can do the job they won’t: caring for the needy. (Thank you to the churches who are doing this!)
Where can people in Nashville go if they are experiencing homelessness? There are several shelters here in our city: the Nashville Rescue Mission, Safe Haven Family Shelter, Room In the Inn and the Salvation Army.
What can you do to help? Donate to or volunteer with organizations that help people experiencing housing insecurity. There are so many great organizations doing this work in Nashville. Here are a few of my favorites:
You can also call or email your legislators and ask them to fund housing and help solve homelessness. Use this link from the National Homelessness Law Center to contact your representatives.
I would love to see a world where everyone has a roof over their heads, safe communities, and access to healthy foods and healthcare. A world where no one is criminalized for poverty or mental illness. Until that day happens, me and my motley night shift crew will stand ready in the ER to care for those in need.
If you’re in need of assistance of emergency shelter, please visit the Middle TN Resource Directory.
About the Author
Dr. Katrina Green, MD FAAEM is a board certified emergency physician, and public safety and health advocate. She lives and works in Nashville, TN.
For more by Dr. Katrina Green, visit: Substack