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Bloomington Mayor Addresses Issue Of Homelessness In Front Of City Council

By Ethan Burks

Posted January 21, 2021

A photo of the MLK rally at Mayor John Hamilton's house.

On MLK Day, protesters marched through the streets of Bloomington to the mayor's house. (Ethan Burks, WFIU/WTIU News)

At the beginning of Wednesday night's city council meeting, Mayor John Hamilton took the time to discuss his opinions and plans to address the issue of homelessness in Bloomington.

“Housing is our goal," Hamilton said. "Getting people into safe, decent housing as quickly as possible and for the long-term.”

Recent events occurring in Seminary Park have become a major talking point amongst local officials, community organizations and residents over the last several weeks.

People experiencing homelessness in the park's encampment were forced to seek shelter elsewhere after the city began enforcing its park rules.

“I know some disagree with the decision to insist that individuals not sleep overnight in city park locations or in rights-of-way next to streets, but working with our partners, I believe we are protecting safety and well-being," Hamilton said. “It is not safe to sleep outdoors in an Indiana winter.”

Hamilton continued to talk about the city's past and most recent efforts to provide affordable housing, which according to him include:

1,400 affordable housing units overseen by the Bloomington Housing Authority
Development of 850 affordable units with over 1,300 bedrooms
Developing three new spaces focused on homelessness: Crawford 2, Southern Knoll & Kinser Flats

"That overall affordable housing support has come from a few million dollars of city money that has leveraged well over $100 million of overall investments in affordable housing," Hamilton said.

Hamilton said the council could have allocated more money if his quarter-percent Local Income Tax (LIT) increase proposal had been approved in October.

“I urged that we enact new revenue last fall. You weren’t ready to take that step then," Hamilton said. "I believe the need continues and indeed may be growing, and I will continue to ask for new revenue for that purpose.”

A portion of that LIT increase would have earmarked $250,000 for services to people experiencing homelessness starting in 2022, and the same amount each year until at least 2026.

Hamilton said he asked both the Community Foundation and United Way to come up with regional strategies on how to solve these issues.

"The hope is to help coordinate and align the investments both public and philanthropic, and try and help measure and monitor the impacts we’re making," Hamilton said.

But according to Hamilton, the city cannot solve this problem alone. He said there is a major question mark on how much money it will actually take.

“I think there is a lot we can do locally, but we need continue to pressure and push state and national leaders do more with us," Hamilton said.

On Monday, Jan. 25 leaders of the Community Foundation and United Way will be meeting with city officials on how to progress their regional strategies.

Ten days after the city removed the homeless encampment the head of Beacon Inc. worked with volunteers and housing advocates to open a new low barrier winter shelter.

The 4,000 square-foot warehouse along the B-line trail has capacity for 49 beds.