Change in Volume of Contacts to the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans After the US Supreme Court Ruling on Grants Pass v Johnson.

OBJECTIVES

Homelessness is an important public health issue, and the number of individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness has increased since 2020. On June 28, 2024, the US Supreme Court issued a 6-to-3 decision in City of Grants Pass v Johnson, which broadened the authority of local governments to prohibit public camping. The National Call Center for Homeless Veterans (NCCHV) offers a 24/7 virtual option for veterans to access services to address housing instability. The objective of this study was to assess whether expanded local enforcement authority affected inflow and characteristics of individuals contacting NCCHV after the Grants Pass decision.

METHODS

We used data from 418 814 contacts to NCCHV from January 1, 2023, through December 31, 2024. We conducted 3 types of analyses: (1) bivariate analysis comparing changes in contact characteristics using Wald χ2 tests, (2) direct comparisons of average weekly call volume using paired t tests, and (3) an interrupted time-series analysis using an autoregressive linear regression model.

RESULTS

While we did not observe seasonal variations in call volume, we found a significant increase in average weekly NCCHV call volume between the pre- and post-Grants Pass periods, from 3926.6 to 4394.8 calls (mean [95% CI] change in average weekly call volume: 468.2 [216.8-719.6; P = .005).

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides an indication of the association between the Grants Pass decision and an increase in help-seeking behavior (potentially representing increased needs) among veterans experiencing housing instability. Future work should assess on-the-ground changes in the needs of individuals experiencing housing instability and responses offered by providers of homeless services.