Presenter signs SEA 285, bans unauthorized camping on public land and ties enforcement to mental-health checks

A state official signed SEA 285, a new law that prohibits unauthorized camping, sleeping or long-term shelter on land owned by the state or any political subdivision and requires law enforcement to assess the need for emergency mental-health detention before pursuing criminal enforcement, the official said.

“I’m happy to sign this bill,” the presenter said, announcing the measure and describing it as a way to connect unsheltered Hoosiers to shelter, diversion and mental-health services rather than to criminalize homelessness.

The law, the presenter said, is intended not as a punitive measure but as a means to move people toward social-service networks that can help them get shelter and treatment. SEA 285 also includes an annual reporting requirement for local law enforcement and for recipients of continuing continuum-of-care funding so the state can better measure efforts to reduce unsheltered homelessness.

Under the measure, if emergency mental-health detention is not appropriate, officers must issue a warning and provide information about available shelter and services; the law provides protections and diversion options when no shelter or treatment bed is available within 5 miles of the person in need. The presenter described that 5-mile provision as a practical protection for people when immediate beds are unavailable.

The presenter contrasted SEA 285 with prior ‘‘housing-first’’ legislation, saying the earlier approach had not reduced homelessness and that this bill is a broader effort to address underlying causes. The official encouraged feedback from the public and legislators and said the state is stepping in where the problem is worst while coordinating with cities.

The speaker also discussed broader state administrative changes tied to the effort, noting a reorganization under a secretarial system to provide more supervision of roughly 70 agencies. The transcript references FSSA and DCS in connection with mental-health work; at first reference these agencies are the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) and the Department of Child Services (DCS), which the presenter said are part of the state’s mental-health and social-services framework.

The presenter named two staff members — Adam, who is returning from leave, and Jennifer, who will continue in her current role — and said leadership changes are intended to support implementation. The official added that affordability and inflation remain top concerns and that they would consider additional recommendations in the coming weeks.

The signing drew procedural remarks about coordination with city leadership and ongoing private-sector due diligence referenced by the presenter; the official thanked attendees and closed the event.

The presenter invited questions at the end of the event and said they would take input from the public and legislators as the law is implemented.