The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded more than $18 million to 82 local homeless assistance programs across Indiana.

Wheeler Mission says the number of women and children sleeping on the floor of the gymnasium at the Center for Women & Children has more than doubled since last January.

Republican Minority Leader Michael McQuillen, who authored the ordinance, voted to take it off the agenda. No one on the council objected.

Half of the funding is planned to help increase police presence downtown, a direct response to what the mayor and others call "aggressive panhandling."

The ordinance prohibits anyone in the Mile Square - the area around Monument Circle - from sitting or lying down on a public pathway between 6 a.m. and midnight.

An ordinance moving through the Indianapolis City-County Council hopes to address panhandling issues in the downtown area, and it's uncovered deep-seated disagreements about how to handle such a complicated issue.

The effort is one part of a recently-developed five-year plan to end homelessness in the city.

The councilors behind the proposal say it's meant to address aggressive panhandling. Some who oppose it say it criminalizes homelessness.

WFYI's Drew Daudelin sat down with Matthew Morton, a researcher on youth homelessness, to talk about traditional approaches to homelessness and what new research tells him about how it could change.

Some who support the ordinance say downtown panhandlers are creating safety concerns and hurting business.