Like many of the unhoused Iowans who camp beside the Des Moines River, Stephanie Roth has a long list of health challenges: fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, chronic pain and mental illness. She sometimes uses a walker or a cane to get around.
Her pain and limited mobility make packing up and moving difficult. But that’s something she has done frequently in the past year.
Des Moines is among the more than 350 U.S. cities and some states where camping outside designated recreational campgrounds is a crime. The city said the ban, passed in 2024, hasn’t made a big difference in how aggressively it removes homeless encampments. But Roth and others experiencing homelessness told The Midwest Newsroom they perceive more frequent pressure…