Public Policy Institute

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 42
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    Addressing Homelessness in Marion County: Policy Considerations and Recommendations
    (Center for Research on Inclusion and Social Policy, 2022-08-16) Bow, Brendan; Lawrence, Roxy; Eckert, Marissa
    In July of 2022, the Center for Research on Inclusion and Social Policy—in collaboration with the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention—released a brief describing the findings of the 2022 Marion County Point-in-Time (PIT) Count. In this follow-up report, researchers compared Indianapolis to four similar cities—Charlotte, North Carolina; Columbus, Ohio; Fort Worth, Texas; and Nashville, Tennessee—to examine homeless populations. This report also examines factors affecting homelessness in Marion County. Those include a dwindling housing/rental market combined with rising housing/rental costs, specific laws and ordinances that criminalize homelessness, recent increases in youth homelessness, and a lack of facilities and support systems to house and help those experiencing homelessness.
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    Addressing Unequal Access to Energy in Indiana
    (Center for Research on Inclusion and Social Policy, 2022-12-12) Schultz, Kristi; Deitz, Ted; Morris, Cheyenne; Eckert, Marissa
    In 2019, state leaders formed the 21st Century Energy Policy Development Task Force to explore and make policy recommendations addressing Indiana’s energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy alternatives. As part of their charge, the task force is researching the affordability and reliability of energy as well as how these energy issues impact low-income and racially minoritized communities. The definition of energy access varies but often includes the delivery and use of a minimum level of energy a household requires for basic needs, such as heating a home or cooking meals. As renewable energy sources become more widely available, it is important that all communities have equitable access to these resources. Addressing these concerns early and proactively deploying strategies focused on energy transition could foster more equitable access to clean energy. This report discusses unequal access to energy in Indiana and the resulting impact on underserved communities. This brief also highlights several strategies to address these disparities.
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    Affordable Housing in Indiana (2022): Policy considerations and recommendations
    (Center for Research on Inclusion and Social Policy, 2022-12-12) Bow, Brendan; Mullin, Hannah; Rapolu, Sreemayi Reddy; Eckert, Marissa
    The Indiana General Assembly passed House Bill 1306 in 2022. When it was signed into law in March 2022, Indiana Public Law 99 established a task force to review housing related issues and housing shortages in Indiana. This task force must issue a report to the general assembly and governor no later than November 1, 2022. In August 2022, researchers from the Center for Research on Inclusion and Social Policy produced a policy brief containing recommendations for local and state officials to address homelessness, much of which concerned housing issues in Indianapolis. This brief expands on the previous report by examining housing availability and affordability in Indiana, while also comparing Indiana to four other similar states. Using this information, the research team provides policy suggestions to address housing shortages in Indiana.
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    Bias crimes charges in the United States: bias homicides in the U.S. between 1990 and 2016
    (Center for Research on Inclusion and Social Policy at IU, 2019-03) Beckman, Wyatt; Buran, Samantha
    The Indiana General Assembly introduced 10 bills related to bias (or hate) crimes in the 2019 session. Indiana is 1 of 5 states in the U.S. without a bias crimes statute. The 10 bills are similar in that each of them allows for a criminal penalty enhancement for bias crimes offenses. Penalty enhancement statutes enable courts to impose a longer sentence if the predicate crime—the underlying crime committed by an offender—is proven to have been motivated by bias as defined by the particular statute. Marginalized communities are convicted of predicate crimes at higher rates. Given that racial disparities also exist within sentencing decisions for equal crimes, there is evidence of discretion within the legal process that disproportionately (and negatively) impacts marginalized groups. The following brief presents an objective analysis of bias homicide charges in the U.S. with the goal of understanding possible policy implications of Indiana’s proposed bias crimes legislation.
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    Black death rates from COVID-19 in Marion County (2020)
    (Center for Research on Inclusion and Social Policy at IU, 2020-04) Merritt, Breanca
    COVID-19 has resulted in a disproportionate number of deaths among black, Hispanic/Latinx, and indigenous Americans across the nation. Where data is available for various states and cities, these groups consistently experience worse outcomes. This trend holds true for Indiana’s black residents. On April 13, 2020, the Indiana State Department of Health began including racial/ethnic demographics of diagnosed cases and deaths in its online dashboard. On that date, black Hoosiers comprised about 10 percent of Indiana’s population, but 20 percent of COVID-19 deaths. This brief looks beyond differences in racial health disparities to understand the structural and social sources for these trends.
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    CRISP Newsletter: August 2019
    (Center for Research on Inclusion & Social Policy, 2019-08) Center for Research on Inclusion & Social Policy
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    CRISP Newsletter: December 2019
    (Center for Research on Inclusion & Social Policy, 2019-12) Center for Research on Inclusion & Social Policy
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    CRISP Newsletter: December 2020
    (Center for Research on Inclusion & Social Policy, 2020-12) Center for Research on Inclusion & Social Policy
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    CRISP Newsletter: January 2019
    (Center for Research on Inclusion & Social Policy, 2019-01) Center for Research on Inclusion & Social Policy
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    Decision 2020 Electing Indiana's Future: Addressing 21st Century Environmental Challenges
    (2020-09) Kharbanda, Jesse; McCabe, Janet; Frank, Indra; Hoffman, Jill