INDIANA – Governor Mike Braun today ceremonially signed SEA 285, legislation establishing a statewide prohibition on unauthorized camping on public land while connecting homeless Hoosiers to shelter, diversion, and mental health services.
“Hoosiers deserve safe streets, sidewalks, and public areas in our cities, and homeless individuals deserve a clear path to shelter, treatment, and mental health services,” said Governor Mike Braun. “SEA 285 helps communities take immediate action to make streets safer and address the underlying problem in a meaningful way.”
The law prohibits unauthorized camping, sleeping, or long-term shelter on land owned by the state or a political subdivision. Before criminal enforcement proceeds, law enforcement must determine whether emergency mental health detention is appropriate and, if not, provide a warning and information about available shelter and services.
The purpose of the bill is not criminal action but to move homeless Hoosiers toward social service networks to help them access needed services and stay safe.
Before Governor Braun’s leadership with SEA285, Indiana’s approach to homelessness had focused on housing-first legislation that had demonstrably failed to reduce homelessness.
Under SEA285, a person may be charged only if at least 48 hours have passed since the warning and the person remains within 300 feet of the warned location. The law provides diversion options and provides defenses when no shelter or treatment bed is available within five miles or when a person has been recently released following an involuntary mental health commitment.
SEA 285 strengthens accountability by preventing local policies that discourage the enforcement of public camping and sidewalk obstruction rules. The law requires annual reporting from local law enforcement and from recipients of Continuum of Care funding so the state can better measure efforts to reduce unsheltered homelessness.
