The City of Bloomington can achieve its goal of ending homelessness, but changes need to be made, according to Mayor Kerry Thomson.
During a Tuesday press conference, Thomson said other communities in Indiana need to stop sending people to Bloomington for services, such as medical treatment, and leaving them here. She said those people are often left without options and fall down a dangerous path.
“By dropping them off here, they end up in encampments and they lose any tie at all that they have to their families and friends who may be able to house them,” she said.
The mayor did not clarify which communities in Indiana are sending people to Bloomington, but stated the issue was raised at a meeting with other Indiana mayors on Monday.
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The mayor also said Bloomington Police will continue efforts to arrest drug dealers and not the homeless people that they prey upon. Eight arrests were made last week in a park where the unhoused gather.
When it comes to those seeking affordable housing in Bloomington, the mayor said simplifying the housing development process is a top priority.
Thomson said her administration is focused on refining the city’s permitting system. An audit of that system is in its early stages and should be completed by the end of this year.
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The mayor said that process is one way to get people housed efficiently.
“Once they have that roof over their head, we can't stop there,” she said. “Housing first cannot be only housing. It has to be housing and services.”
The mayor was unable to provide the latest statistics on homeless encampments and individuals in the city.