Homelessness has become an increasingly talked about issue throughout the country, leading state and local governments to pass legislation to address the growing crisis.
In Kentucky, it became a divisive issue recently as the state legislature introduced HB5, “The Safer Kentucky Act,” to reprioritize rehabilitation and community safety when it comes to homelessness policies.
The Cicero Institute partnered with Cor Strategies to conduct an opinion survey about Kentuckians’ sentiments about the issue. The survey provided insight into the widespread concerns around public safety and street camping and showed broad support for focusing on solutions that help people escape the cycle of homelessness.
Cicero Institute’s Director of Communications Stefani Buhajla
“Our organization is working with state governments throughout the country to reduce street homelessness by ending bad incentives, holding government-funded programs accountable, and getting the homeless the help they need instead of doubling down on failure.
Our partnership with Cor Strategies gave us a comprehensive view of where Kentuckians stand on homelessness and solutions they support so we could effectively communicate with legislators and stakeholders. We then used what we learned to show other state leaders how voters want to address homelessness.”
Cicero Institute has seen tremendous success in turning polling data into optimized messaging. As a result, their model homelessness legislation was enacted in multiple states—including Kentucky where the General Assembly overrode the governor’s veto since the bill had so much support, Florida, Oklahoma, and Georgia—in just the first few months of 2024 and is making headway in several other states.
Kentucky State Representative Jared Bauman
“The Kentucky General Assembly worked diligently to pass HB5, a comprehensive public safety bill that included solutions to our state’s growing homelessness problems. It was important to us to know exactly where Kentuckians stand on the issue and what they expect from their representatives. The data from the Cicero Institute polling played a crucial role in communicating with our constituents and enacting legislation they support.”
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Script & Results
Learn how you can deploy a messaging survey around your organization’s top issues to more effectively communicate with legislators, stakeholders, and voters on the problem and solutions by contacting Cor Strategies!
