CHILLICOTHE, Ohio – Chillicothe City Council is moving full speed ahead with its push to criminalize homelessness, setting a public review meeting for March 3, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. to discuss proposed legislation banning camping in public areas.
The meeting will take place in Room B1-2 of the Annex at the Chillicothe & Ross County Public Library, located at 140 South Paint Street. The Annex address is 40 West Fifth Street. According to a notice issued by City Council President Kevin Shoemaker, public participation will be limited to discussion of the proposed ordinance.
This move follows months of aggressive sweeps targeting homeless encampments across the city. Now, officials are doubling down, pushing for an official ordinance to codify the crackdown.
Supreme Court ruling paves the way for homeless removals
In July 2024, Chillicothe police forcibly removed unhoused individuals from makeshift shelters throughout the city. The timing wasn’t random—a recent Supreme Court decision in City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson et al. gave cities nationwide a legal green light to penalize public camping.
That ruling overturned a Ninth Circuit decision that had protected homeless individuals from being punished for sleeping in public, arguing that such laws violated the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the 6-3 majority, dismissed that argument, claiming that local ordinances with “modest penalties” do not violate constitutional protections.
With that legal barrier removed, Chillicothe officials wasted no time:
- July 3: Police evicted residents from encampments at the floodwall and Yoctangee Park.
- July 4: The City Parks and Recreation Department issued permanent bans for those along the floodwall.
- July 6: Another encampment near Riverside was shut down by police.
- July 7: Residents of a camp near Mt. Logan Drive were evicted and barred from the property.
Now, City Council is working to cement those evictions into law, ensuring that those without housing have nowhere to go—except out of sight.
Criminalization vs. real solutions: The fight for Chillicothe’s unhoused
For some in Chillicothe, these evictions represent a necessary step to “clean up” the city. For others, it’s a shameful abdication of responsibility—a cruel and short-sighted attempt to hide the problem rather than solve it.
Local advocacy group Southern Ohio HART – Homeless Advocacy Response Team blasted the ordinance, arguing that criminalizing survival does nothing to solve homelessness:
“The city does NOT need another law on the books to harm the homeless!”
Instead of punitive measures, the group outlined real solutions that could actually help people get off the streets:
- Expand shelter capacity with more locations and beds.
- Create a low-barrier shelter for those who can’t access traditional congregate shelters.
- Establish “Safe Park” areas for individuals sheltering in their vehicles.
- Develop “Safe Camp” areas as a temporary alternative while permanent housing is secured.
- Provide extensive case management services to help people transition into housing.
- Incentivize landlords to offer more affordable rental units.
- Build an affordable housing inventory, rather than expanding law enforcement measures against the unhoused.
“That’s just where you start!” the group stated, urging residents to attend the upcoming public review meeting and demand better solutions.
“Be there… become an advocate, help lift someone up,” the statement continued. “As you may have read in the Good Book… you never know when you may entertain angels.”
A city at a crossroads
Chillicothe City Council has made its stance clear—the priority is removing the unhoused, not housing them. But as the March 3 public review meeting approaches, residents now have a choice:
- Show up and demand real, humane solutions
- Or allow the city to bury the issue under legal red tape
This is Chillicothe’s moment of reckoning—will the city lead with compassion or continue sweeping its problems under the rug?