Bloomington council debates, weighs support for Home Sweet Home shelter sale to convert Connect Transit property

The Bloomington City Council discussed a resolution to support Connect Transit’s proposed sale of 104 East Oakland to Home Sweet Home Ministries for a noncongregate shelter project, often described in the meeting as “the Bridge.” Councilmember Cody Hendricks moved the resolution and Councilmember Ward seconded the motion; council members debated funding, service needs, and possible coordination with the Town of Normal before proceeding to finalize language.

The issue matters because the sale would enable Home Sweet Home to open shelter space intended as a temporary, low- or no-barrier option while service providers work toward permanent housing solutions. Councilmember Cody Hendricks said the project “represents collaboration” and called it “a start, and it’s the right start,” while supporters from the public, neighborhood business owners and service providers urged the council to act.

Supporters described the shelter as a coordinated regional response. Matt Burgess of Home Sweet Home, who previously presented the project to council, drew on community history and local nonprofit partnerships to frame the proposal as rooted in care and local tradition. Robbie Ozinga, a downtown business owner, told the council the project “reflects the compassion that built our past and the boldness that will shape our future.” Liam Wheeler, coordinator for the Central Illinois Continuum of Care, described his personal experience receiving shelter from Home Sweet Home and said the facility would act as “a stop gap to help us create more space so that we can find more permanent solutions.”

Council members who opposed or pressed for more information asked for clearer data on local trends and outcomes. Councilmember Antony listed a series of data points she said she could not locate online, including a continuum of care count she referenced from late January and then compared HUD point-in-time counts for McLean County from 2020–2024. Antony asked the council to examine how the local unsheltered population rose — she referenced a reported increase “from 60 to 130” in 2025 in local reporting — and to understand root causes before expanding low- or no-barrier shelter options. Antony also cited outcome data from micro-community and hotel-based programs in other cities (Denver, Seattle) and asked council to consider those outcomes in local planning.

Other council members urged balancing urgency with oversight. City Manager Jeff Jurgens told council there is no direct city financial support requested in the sale; he described a potential county shared sales-tax grant that could be applied, and said the property is appropriately zoned but will require an administrative permit from the city. Jurgens explained the permit would be renewed annually and could be revoked if the project becomes injurious or a nuisance to the neighborhood. He also said Connect Transit sought a formal nod from the Council before completing the sale.

Council discussion included operational concerns: expected law-enforcement and emergency medical service demand, layered funding from multiple grants, and the importance of service provision consistent with the Continuum of Care. Several council members urged coordination with Home Sweet Home on rules and on how the project will fit into broader homelessness strategy. At one point the mayor proposed, and the mover accepted, language adding a sentence encouraging the Town of Normal to consider a similar resolution of support; council members agreed that election of that language would not be a contingency for action.

A formal motion to approve “a resolution supporting the sale by Connect Transit of 104 East Oakland to Home Sweet Home Ministries for a noncongregate shelter project” was made (mover: Councilmember Cody Hendricks; seconder: Councilmember Ward). The transcript of the provided meeting ends after the council finalized discussion about adding language encouraging Normal; a recorded roll-call vote on the resolution does not appear in the supplied transcript.

What happens next: Connect Transit must complete the sale to Home Sweet Home and Home Sweet Home must apply for and receive the city’s administrative permit, submit a concept plan, and comply with permit conditions. The council and city staff said they expect the permit to include annual renewal and that the city can revoke the permit if conditions documented in the permit are not met.

Community members and council members asked that the project be monitored and coordinated with regional partners and service providers to track outcomes and to mitigate neighborhood impacts.