STATEHOUSES – On the last day of Indiana’s legislative session, small-town Hoosiers are gathering at the Statehouse to call for care, not cuffs in response to Indiana’s overdose and housing crises as a part of the 2nd Annual Harm Reduction Day at the Statehouse. With homelessness at a record high in the United States and deaths and injuries from overdoses continuing to devastate our communities, Hoosiers are joining together to call out the effort to criminalize homelessness and weaken Indiana’s syringe services programs.
For decades, Indiana state has locked people up who are struggling with addiction and housing insecurity, but criminalizing drug use and poverty has failed to solve either of these problems, which have been further exacerbated by skyrocketing rent. SB 285 threatens to double-down on these failed policy approaches by locking up Hoosiers without homes for sleeping outdoors. Changes in the House to SB 91, which extends Indiana’s syringe services programs, increase barriers to running and accessing this vital, evidence-based service. By requiring 3 month retroactive work requirements reporting, SB 1 will lead to increased recidivism and overdoses by locking individuals out of medicaid coverage for 3 months after they leave incarceration.
On February 26th, small-town Hoosiers will gather to honor those they’ve lost to addiction, share their own experiences with addiction and housing insecurity, and push back against the further criminalization of substance use disorder and homelessness. Speakers will voice support for life-saving harm reduction legislation, including syringe services programs.
What: Vigil & Press Conference
When: Thursday, February 26th at 11 am
Where: Indiana Statehouse South External Staircase (W. Washington St. Side)
Confirmed Speakers:
- Shauna Burns, Care, Not Cuffs Co-Chair and Leader in Recovery from Floyd County
- Megan Cunningham, Co-founder Recover Out Loud
- Matt Fleenor, Minister Nomad Church Collective
- Tony Hostetler, Hoosier Action Care, Not Cuffs Community Organizer
- Dennis Jones, Vanderburgh County father of a child lost to addiction
- Tracy Skaggs, Executive Director Project Recovery So. IN
