Cicero Institute Drives Indiana Street-Sleeping Ban as 16 States Pass Its Homelessness Laws
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 22
Cicero Institute Drives Indiana Street-Sleeping Ban as 16 States Pass Its Homelessness Laws
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 22
Summary
Indiana passed a law making street sleeping a crime after the Cicero Institute’s third push, with its staff lobbying the bill and three analysts arguing arrests would drive people into treatment.
Trump’s homelessness executive order closely mirrored Cicero’s agenda, helping shift Republican policy toward clearing encampments and steering people into forced treatment for mental illness or addiction.
Joe Lonsdale’s think tank has become a leading force in GOP homelessness policy as homelessness nears record levels, despite opposition from Catholic leaders and sheriffs who warned the ban would hurt the poor and crowd jails.
Twenty-one states have considered Cicero-backed camping bans or related measures in recent years, and 16 have enacted them, while the group also works with the Trump administration to redirect federal aid away from housing subsidies.