The City of Boise Settles Homeless Camping Lawsuit for $1.34M

BOISE — The city of Boise has reached a $1.34 million settlement with plaintiffs in Martin v. Boise, a lawsuit over a city ordinance that allowed police to cite people for sleeping outside, ending more than a decade of litigation.

As part of the agreement, people will not be cited or arrested for sleeping outdoors when no shelter is available, and city ordinances will be updated to reflect that, a news release said. Further, the city will invest $1,335,000 in preventing homelessness this year, at least one-third of which will be committed to rehabilitating or creating additional overnight shelter space. Boise Police officers will be trained to ensure citations aren’t issued when shelter space is unavailable. 

“I am so happy and proud to see everyone’s hard work finally come together in such a way that will help so many people,” said Pamela Hawkes Duke, one of the plaintiffs experiencing homelessness in Boise, in the release. “I am really looking forward to seeing what other cities come up with as time goes on, especially when the City of Boise will have laid down the foundation for what it could look like.”