While some cities clear homeless encampments, others are granting a ‘right to shelter’

Estimates from the US suggest that around 653,000 people experience homelessness on any given night. In Canada, the number is around 32,000. The US rate per capita is about 1.5 times that of Canada, though this varies widely across different cities and regions. Makeshift tent encampments providing basic spaces of shelter and safety have been established across North America, acting as stark visual reminders of growing housing crises. Above: A police officer approaching a tent in a park in Grants Pass, Oregon. J