Bloomington, Indiana – Reacting to a notable rise in homelessness, Monroe County and Bloomington have unveiled an in-depth new housing action plan meant to meet the needs of their homeless population. The proposal results from a startling May survey by the South Central Housing Network showing that homelessness in the area had quadrupled since 2019, climbing from 29 to 117 people.
Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thompson underlined in a recent statement the seriousness of the problem and noted that Bloomington’s struggle reflects a national catastrophe. Thompson claims that Bloomington is confronting a complex problem that transcends population growth and requires knowledge and addressing of the several factors and causes of homelessness in the city.
The newly unveiled action plan targets eight critical needs:
- Expanding street outreach services.
- Enhancing case management support to better assist individuals in navigating the system.
- Boosting efforts to prevent homelessness from occurring in the first place.
- Implementing a temporary stop on accepting homeless individuals from other regions into emergency shelters to manage local capacity.
- Increasing affordable housing options, specifically targeting rents below $500 per month.
- Improving security measures in permanent supportive housing to prevent individuals from returning to homelessness.
- Adding beds designated for medical respite to aid those in recovery.
- Assessing the necessity for additional shelter beds to accommodate growing needs.
Mayor Thompson noted the complex nature of the matter and said that basic remedies such as makeshift shelters or approved camping locations are inadequate. Thompson also emphasized that the strategy has to be more effective and sustainable if it is to really improve the present situation and offer a meaningful road out of homelessness.
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Long-term objectives also include revamping the local criminal justice system’s interactions with the homeless population who regularly run against legal problems and ongoing advocacy for new housing solutions. Dealing with these pressing issues will depend heavily on cooperation with nearby housing authorities.
One of the initiative’s partners, HealthNet, noted the important junction between homelessness and medical treatment.
“When you are living on the streets, housing may not be your priority, it’s about survival so health care gets put to the back burner,” Melissa Burgess with HealthNet said. “What we are trying to do is provide that health care on the streets while they are just trying to survive coupled with helping them secure housing and support services.”
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The action plan is a proactive approach to not just reducing homelessness’s consequences but also of destroying its fundamental causes. Another top goal is community involvement; the city plans multiple seminars to get public comments on the proposal. Set for Tuesday, August 13, at 5 p.m., the first of these seminars marks the start of what many expect to be a transforming effort to assist Bloomington’s most vulnerable citizens.
