House bill criticized as criminalizing homelessness will not advance
House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, told reporters that lawmakers had good discussions on the bill, but it ultimately didn’t have the support it needed.
Homeless shelters
-
Indiana House committee votes to repeal downtown tax district, offers county-wide income tax as alternative
The Republican-controlled Indiana House Ways and Means Committee voted to advance a bill that would repeal the economic enhancement district that Democrat-controlled Indianapolis city government approved last month. The committee chairman offered a new Marion County income tax as an alternative.
Read More -
Bill aims to keep state from releasing non-resident prisoners in Indianapolis
House Bill 1087, authored by Rep. Justin Moed, D-Indianapolis, would require the Indiana Department of Correction—with some exceptions—to return offenders to the county where they lived when they were convicted.
Read More -
Tale of two downtowns: $9B set to be invested in projects, even as business district struggles with recovery
Many parts of downtown are thriving—particularly neighborhoods, where rents are rising, people have to stand in line for a lunch table, and investments are flowing. Other parts—especially downtown’s central core, where many workers might come to the office only once or twice a week—are limping along, pockmarked by vacant storefronts, panhandlers and crumbling sidewalks.
Read More -
Expanded women’s shelter to offer more beds, more dignity
Wheeler Mission is set to open an expanded center for homeless women and children that will nearly double the space for services, add 160 short- and long-term beds, and enhance programming.
Read More
Articles
Public camping ban passes key legislative deadline despite law enforcement concerns
A lobbyist for the Indiana Sheriffs’ Association testified House Bill 1662 could put additional strain on already-crowded county jails.
Indiana lawmakers consider public camping ban
Opponents of the bill testified that the legislation, which mirrors legislation introduced in other states and can be traced to a Texas-based think tank, criminalizes homelessness.
Indianapolis conducts annual count of homeless population
Volunteers departed from the home base at Horizon House on East Washington Street to more than 300 locations where homeless individuals are likely to spend the night.
2024 Year in Review: Indy implements downtown tax
The economic enhancement district is projected to raise $4.65 million a year in taxes to pay for downtown-focused improvements and programs and fund the operating costs of a low-barrier homeless shelter planned on the southeast side of downtown.
Planned low-barrier homeless shelter raises hopes and concerns
The city is preparing to break ground in the next few months, but some housing-first advocates say the shelter doesn’t further the housing-first goal because it won’t include permanent-housing options.
States and localities face crossroad on homelessness policy
The city of Indianapolis says it has no plans to change the way it deals with homeless residents, despite a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows cities to move, ticket or arrest people sleeping on the streets.
Supreme Court allows cities to enforce bans on homeless people sleeping outside
In a 6-3 decision, the high court reversed a ruling by a San Francisco-based appeals court that found outdoor sleeping bans amount to cruel and unusual punishment.
After legislative changes earlier this year, what’s next for Indy’s downtown tax district?
Under the new law, owners of apartments and single-family homes are exempted from the tax unless they decide to opt in to paying the tax, leaving potential for a large decrease in available funds.
Record numbers in the U.S. are homeless. Can cities fine them for sleeping in parks and on sidewalks?
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday will weigh whether punishing people for sleeping outside when shelter space is lacking is unconstitutional.
Bill to undo Mile Square property tax passes House with support from Speaker Todd Huston
As an alternative, the House approved a separate measure that would allow the City-County Council to increase the countywide local income tax by .02% to help pay for the operating costs of a homeless shelter and various improvements in the city’s Mile Square.
Opponents of downtown tax to seek reprieve from Legislature, Bosma says
It’s unclear if lawmakers are open to rolling back the measure, which was slipped into the 2023 state budget without public input. However, the push for a change has a powerful ally in former Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma.
City seeks to rezone land on southeast side for ‘low barrier’ homeless shelter
The city wants to build a “housing hub” that will include the city’s first low-barrier homeless shelter on 11 parcels at the intersection of Shelby and East Georgia streets.
City purchases land for low-barrier homeless shelter
The purchase consists of three parcels and was made in partnership with Indianapolis-based not-for-profit Rdoor Housing Corp. (formerly Merchants Affordable Housing Corp.), an affordable housing developer.
Indy point-in-time count finds 8% drop in homeless population
The annual census of the city’s houseless population found 1,619 unique individuals who were unsheltered, sheltered or in transitional housing.
A low-barrier shelter could be the answer to some of Indy’s homelessness problems
Indianapolis plans to pilot a low-barrier shelter on city-owned property and create a master leasing program in which the city would lease units on behalf of property owners to low- or no-income individuals.
Homeless service providers host memorial on Circle for 160-plus dead
The death count is 91% higher than in last year’s Zoom-only ceremony, which recognized the deaths of 87 people.
City report calls for low-barrier, service-rich shelter for homeless residents
The report from the Indianapolis Office of Public Health and Safety says the new shelter should offer a high level of access and feature a concentration of services meant to help homeless people get back on their feet.
Leader of homeless shelter has job flipped upside down
The pandemic changed just about every aspect of Lori Casson’s job as executive director of Dayspring Center.
City to close Monument Circle to homeless camps
Mark Bode, deputy communications director for Mayor Joe Hogsett, said the impetus behind the notice is that “encampments and storage of personal property in the Circle are blocking pedestrian traffic and causing disruption to nearby businesses.”