‘Criminalizing homelessness’: Lorain proposes citywide ban on sleeping in public

LORAIN, Ohio — Lorain is moving to ban sleeping in public spaces — from sidewalks and alleys to parked cars — under a proposed ordinance that critics say would effectively criminalize homelessness.

The measure, discussed at Tuesday’s City Council meeting and sent to committee for review, would make violations a fourth-degree misdemeanor, allowing police to issue citations and remove people from those areas.

If adopted, Lorain would join other Northeast Ohio cities, including Brunswick, Mentor and Ashtabula, that have enacted similar bans since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2024 ruling in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson . In that case, the Court ruled that cities may penalize homeless people for sleeping or camping in public spaces — even when no shelter beds are available — finding that such