Polling Highlights Key Sentiments on Indiana Public Camping Ban

Media Inquiries

Stefani Buhajla
Director of Communications
Cicero Institute
[email protected]

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Issue Areas

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Indianapolis, IN — In the wake of growing discussions about homelessness, the Cicero Institute has released eye-opening data from its recent statewide poll on the issue, offering a comprehensive view of Hoosiers’ sentiments of the crisis.

Key findings include:

• 76 percent of voters believe it is more compassionate to move homeless people into shelters than to let them camp wherever they choose.
• 54 percent believe should Indiana prohibit camping in public spaces, such as sidewalks and city parks.
• 68 percent support directing more of the state’s homelessness spending toward supportive programs that meet immediate needs, such as mental health and addiction treatment programs.
  
• 56 percent support requiring major cities such as Indianapolis to enforce bans on street camping as a condition of receiving increased funding for homelessness programs.

“Many of these people are too unwell to act in their own best interests without pressure and support of law enforcement and outreach,” said Devon Kurtz, public safety policy director at the Cicero Institute. “Indiana and the country as a whole is not experiencing a homelessness crisis as much as experiencing an unsheltered humanitarian disaster. More must be done to help people leave the streets. Living on the street has three times the mortality rate as living in a shelter. Living on the street is simply unacceptable.”

The rest of the results and crosstabs can be viewed on Cicero Institute’s website here.

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About the Cicero Institute:

Cicero Institute is a non-partisan 501(c)3 public policy organization dedicated to advancing constitutional principles and promoting the rule of law. Through rigorous research, advocacy, and legal analysis, Cicero Institute strives to uphold the values enshrined in our nation’s founding documents and ensure that justice prevails for all Americans.