Last week, we discussed the passage of SEA 285, which allows local authorities to cite people camping on public lands. This citation can come with a fine and possible jail time. Supporters of the bill hope that, before the situation escalates to that point, the unhoused person will be compelled to receive help. Opponents of the law point out the challenges that this new law brings to the lives of those who are unhoused, such as added expenses for legal fees and the possibility of a criminal record, both hurting one’s chances of becoming housed. At the end of the day, homelessness remains an affordable housing problem, and that is one way we end homelessness.
What This Law Actually Sets in Motion
It is said for most that homelessness happens slowly, then all at once. Meaning that a financial setback that one hopes to catch up on begins to snowball, and catching up becomes impossible. Suddenly, one finds themselves unhoused. Perhaps thinking this is a temporary solution, one begins to camp, hidden away in a local park. The thought process is that camping is cheap and temporary; our person still goes to work every day, saving for a down payment on a new place or paying back rent first.
One evening, while they are “home” in their tent, the police come through doing a safety check. They warn that our person has 48 hours to move along or be fined. For whatever reason- work, illness, inclement weather- the 48 hours go by, and our person hasn’t moved their “home.” Law enforcement returns with a citation. This means our person now must attend court, missing work. Work is hourly and every dollar counts, so they miss court. Now a warrant is issued because they missed their court date; this leads to arrest, jail time, more fines, and a record. Each step is small, but the accumulation closes housing doors for the person in our scenario.
The Record is the Barrier
A misdemeanor conviction or unpaid fine often shows up in a tenant screening, and criminal-history restrictions in screenings are a well-documented obstacle to renting. These often flag, and very few landlords take the time to learn what happened and why there is a record. If we continue with our scenario from above- our person paid all their fines, paid the back rent, and managed to save for first and last month’s rent plus a security deposit. They’ve found a place to live, no longer having to hide from law enforcement while camping. Everything looks like it’s falling into place. Then, on the application, they had to pay a filing fee, which flagged a criminal record. So close to a home with a front door, sleeping out of the elements, and once again being a law-abiding citizen according to this new law, but they now find themselves back at the starting line. Enforcing SEA 285 has not produced housing for the individual in our scenario; it has reduced their ability to obtain it.
A Deterrent to Home
Indiana is not the first place in the United States to criminalize homelessness. Cities desperate to curb this issue have enacted similar laws in hopes of reducing homelessness; however, studies show this doesn’t work. In fact, research shows that in many cases, it makes the issue worse. A study by Lebovits and Sullivan in Policy Studies Journal covered 100 of the largest cities from 2000-2021 and found no reduction in homelessness. In fact, the study went on to show that cities that criminalized homelessness showed a 2.2% average increase in unsheltered homelessness. No evidence shows that these laws reduce homelessness.
The Services Promised but Unable to Deliver
Supporters and champions of SEA 285 see it as an entry point for unhoused individuals to begin accessing services. The idea is that once law enforcement makes contact, a social worker or mental health professional will also make contact to help the unhoused person connect to services to become housed. In Indiana, all 92 counties report behavioral health workforce shortages. This shortage leaves law enforcement in an impossible situation when support services are unavailable.
What Does Work
We know that Housing First, or permanent housing, is a well-documented solution. This provides a sustainable exit point from homelessness, giving the unhoused person in our scenario a place to begin rebuilding life through stability. This works best in coordination with other community partners, building a support network that helps our unhoused individual remain housed long-term. When this is done in coordination with emergency shelters, this keeps shelter beds rotating for those entering the system and obtaining housing.
Sadly, though, funding for permanent housing, despite numerous studies showing the effectiveness of not only housing individuals but also reducing recidivism, is at serious risk. We covered the federal government’s choice to move away from permanent housing in the first blog post in our series, which you can find below.
Permanent housing is the exit from homelessness that removes people from the streets and empties shelter beds, not citing and criminalizing the worst-case moments of one’s life.
Other Posts in this Series:
The Federal Retreat From Housing: What the Latest Funding Cuts Mean for People at Risk
Indiana Bill SEA285: What It Means Now That It’s in Effect
Sources
- Lebovits & Sullivan, “Do Criminalization Policies Impact Local Homelessness?” Policy Studies Journal
- Shelterforce, Criminalizing Homelessness Doesn’t Work, Study Finds (July 3, 2025)
- Thurgood Marshall Institute at LDF, Barred from Housing: The Discriminatory Impacts of Criminal History Restrictions in Tenant Screening (April 2025)
- Center for American Progress, Preventing and Removing Barriers to Housing Security for People With Criminal Convictions
- Indiana Capital Chronicle, Public camping ban and other laws go into effect July 1 (June 25, 2026)
- WFYI, A cop, a homeless man, and a provider: the street view of the new law (June 29, 2026)
- The Indiana Citizen, Fight over homelessness: new effort to ban street camping gains traction
- NACo, Court vacates FY 2026 Continuum of Care grant changes
- National Alliance to End Homelessness, CEO Corner: The FY2026 NOFO is Vacated (Aug. 11, 2026)
