Providence City Council passes ordinance preventing the fining of unhoused people camping on public property

"This ordinance commits the city to the bare minimum of basic compassion over misguided cruelty," said Councilmember Miguel Sanchez.

The Providence City Council passed an ordinance on Thursday prohibiting the City of Providence from imposing fines on the city’s unhoused community and urging compassionate solutions to the homelessness crisis. Following the United States Supreme Court’s unfortunate 2024 City of Grants Pass v. Johnson decision, municipalities can now impose fines on people who sleep or camp on public property. The ordinance was introduced by Majority Whip Miguel Sanchez (Ward 6).

“Our city’s unhoused community members are fighting for their lives. We should be doing everything we can to keep them safe, to get them housed, and to do it with dignity,” said Majority Whip Sanchez. “But when we fail to do that – we absolutely cannot then fine them money they don’t have as punishment for our own inaction. This ordinance commits the city to the bare minimum of basic compassion over misguided cruelty.”

The ordinance passed with ten votes. Councilmembers Althea Graves (Ward 12), Jo-Ann Ryan (Ward 5), James Taylor (Ward 8), and Oscar Vargas (Ward 15) voted against the ordinance.

Here’s the video. The vote is at the 4-minute, 47-second mark.