Mayor Thompson presents provider-developed housing action plan, urges more outreach and case management

Mayor Carrie Thompson on Wednesday told the Bloomington Common Council that an emergency housing action plan developed by local shelter and outreach providers lays out immediate steps to address a sharp rise in street homelessness in the Monroe County region.

The plan, which Heading Home convened and released publicly the day before the meeting, contains 10 recommendations. At the council meeting Thompson said the priorities include expanding coordinated street outreach and case management, strengthening diversion and prevention services for people at risk of eviction, increasing subsidized rental units (with a stated emphasis on units affordable at under $500 a month), bolstering security and services for permanent supportive housing, adding approximately 10 medical respite beds and evaluating the need for additional shelter capacity.

"Housing is medicine," Thompson said in summarizing the plan. She told the council the city will need state, federal, county and private investment to implement many recommendations and praised local outreach workers for their daily work with people living outdoors.

The plan also recommends, as a short-term measure, a temporary moratorium on welcoming people from outside the region into overnight emergency shelters while providing reunification services to help nonregional residents return to their support networks. Thompson said the group that produced the plan did not reach unanimous agreement on that recommendation but that most local shelter providers support it. She noted the May survey Heading Home conducted — distinct from the federal January point-in-time count — included questions about where people experiencing homelessness report they are from and that the data show a measurable inflow from outside the region.

Council members pressed the administration on assumptions behind the recommendations and on whether people with lived experience were part of the plan process. Thompson and Heading Home representatives said people with lived experience have participated in other Heading Home work; Mary Morgan, director of Heading Home of South Central Indiana, confirmed one team member with lived experience contributed to discussions and said the full 21-page plan provides further context and options for managing inflow.

Morgan also described measurable goals in the plan: reduce unsheltered homelessness by at least 50% by 2027 and 70% by 2030.

During public comment, Graylee, a young trans woman, urged the council to consider the relationships and supports that exist within camps and cautioned that clearing camps can remove the only option some residents have for shelter and neighborly assistance. Dave Takid, a resident, welcomed the collaborative plan but urged the city to address immediate operational needs such as secure storage for belongings and accommodations for people with dogs.

Several council members and staff discussed operational problems with restroom facilities and other services (Mayor Thompson noted the 4th Street bathroom had been vandalized and repaired at a cost of roughly $160,000), and HAND (Housing & Neighborhood Development) staff and Heading Home representatives said administration and federal compliance considerations will shape how returns of ARPA funds are handled.

No formal municipal policy changes were adopted on the housing plan at the meeting; Thompson said the administration will reflect plan priorities in upcoming budget proposals and invited council and the public to a Heading Home workshop on Aug. 13 and a council-facilitated consensus-building activity on Aug. 14 to inform next steps.

The council meeting continued with other agenda items.