Members from all sectors of the Bloomington community have collaborated to create a new task force to address homelessness and enhance local social service facilities.

Tom Capshew, the recently retired administrator of the Interfaith Winter Shelter and organizer of the June 12 Homelessness Summit, said the city still has much to improve upon in terms of its focus on the homeless.

“I think that we have a lot of services,” Capshew said, “but they aren’t always coordinated well, so it creates gaps.”

One problem Capshew acknowledges is that some shelters have entry criteria that not everyone meets.

He said the task force is focused on implementing low-barrier shelters to help those suffering from alcohol and drug abuse.

The task force also hopes to improve upon family services, specifically housing. Currently, there are no family-based shelters in Monroe County, Capshew said.
Bloomington also lacks daytime shelters.

“Have we done a lot?” Capshew said. “Maybe so. Can we do more? I think we can.”

A number of people shared Capshew’s sentiment at the Homelessness Summit, where members from a variety of local divisions, including church and government offices, shared ideas and created a force that would prioritize the issue of homelessness.

Capshew said the city government and county representatives are supporting this initiative.

“It’s a community problem that will require support from every sector,” Capshew said. “It’s not just a city issue. It’s not just a city council issue. It’s everyone in the
community’s problem.”

And the community has experienced relatively high poverty levels for some time now.
In the latest U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey for 2006-08, 16.5 percent of Bloomington families live below poverty level compared to the U.S. average of 9.6 percent.

Capshew said he hopes the city recognizes the need for substantial funding so this new task force will be a success.

“Money is always a problem for social services because of people’s priorities,” Capshew said.