Election 2024:
Approach to Homelessness
League of Women Voters pose question to Monroe County candidates
The May 7, 2024 primary election includes several races for Monroe County offices. Below are responses to a question posed by the League of Women Voters of Bloomington and Monroe County regarding how candidates would address homelessness.
These responses are for the competitive races for Monroe County Commissioner (Districts 2 and 3) and Monroe County Council at-large candidates.
Visit the League’s Vote411 site for more information. Click here for more information about the local election, including early voting hours.
Monroe County Commissioner District 2:
Two candidates for Monroe County Commissioner (District 2) are running in the May 7 Democratic Party primary: Peter Iversen and Julie Thomas.
Here are their responses to the League of Women Voters question: What approaches would you favor to address the problems of homelessness in Monroe County?
- “Housing is a two-level problem, and we need to start from the evidence-based position that homelessness is a housing issue. The County needs to have supportive housing for those who have greater needs. It really is that simple—but implementation requires planning, cooperation, and substantial expenditures. I sit on the Financial Board at Beacon Inc., proudly worked on the Heading Home plan for our community, and voted time and time again to support housing-first investments in our community. We must do better when it comes to tent encampments. The best way to change this approach is by working alongside community organizations that already have relationships with those living in the area to formulate plans for where people will go.”
- “Another national issue with local implications, we need to continue to listen to what advocates for those experiencing homelessness are telling us and, more importantly, we need to hear what people who are unhoused are saying. The mental health and substance use disorder crisis in our community is connected with this issue as well. Elected leaders need to lead by example – to treat those who are least fortunate among us with both dignity and respect. I supported the Heading Home program, Habitat for Humanity (Osage Place and the new proposed project), Beacon‘s development, and New Hope‘s cutting edge facility – they are vital investments in our community’s future. I volunteered at the Osage Place Habitat site in 2023.”
Monroe County Commissioner District 3:
Three candidates for Monroe County Commissioner (District 3) are running in the May 7 Democratic Party primary: Penny Githens, Jody Madeira and Steve Volan. The two candidates in a competitive Republican Party primary for District 3 — Joe VanDeventer and Paul White — did not respond to LWV questions.
Here are responses to the League of Women Voters question: What approaches would you favor to address the problems of homelessness in Monroe County?
- “I recently learned that if an unhoused person is medically stabile before being housed, they are more likely to remain housed. Healthnet-Bloomington has a street-outreach program, and when I asked what their greatest need was, they said they needed another vehicle. Monroe County quickly donated a truck to them. We are active partners with groups like Heading Home, Beacon, New Hope for Families, and the Community Kitchen. We hope to use opioid settlement dollars to add beds for individuals in recovery. We donated land to Habitat for Humanity for Osage Place to increase affordable housing, and we are working with them on another possible neighborhood. Finally, we are looking at where it is environmentally safe to increase housing density.”
- “Homelessness is a complex issue involving mental health, substance use, medical concerns, and underemployment/unemployment. The county must work towards long-term sustainable solutions that have buy-in from government, service providers, individuals with lived experience of being unhoused. This includes making information on vacant low-market rentals easily accessible; providing permanent housing to people experiencing homelessness that also includes access to other support services like counseling, medical care, and substance use treatment; use preventative measures like mediation and emergency funds to avoid eviction; creating court diversion programs for homelessness-related offenses; and increasing communication between stakeholders.”
- “If our community (meaning the whole county, not just the city) has a shortage of housing at all levels, we shouldn’t be surprised by the degree of the homelessness problem. The county needs to take advantage of the ordinance I authored last year that expanded Bloomington Transit’s limits to the whole county. Transit makes more housing more affordable. Shrewd expansion of it can serve every income level, but is crucial to people experiencing extreme poverty. Less-expensive housing also means smaller lot sizes, smaller building footprints, and lower parking mandates. Nodes of smaller homes built close together can be served by transit, and allows homes in many more places, both outside and inside the city, that could alleviate the crisis.”
Monroe County Council At-Large
In the May 7 Democratic Party primary, four candidates are running for three at-large seats on the Monroe County Council: Matt Caldie, Trent Deckard, David Henry and Cheryl Munson.
Here are responses to the League of Women Voters question: What approaches would you favor to address the problems of homelessness in Monroe County?
- “Short-term, evidence suggests that a rapid re-housing model can be an effective method. When people have a home, they are better equipped to address the challenges that may have led to their homelessness in the first place, such as unemployment, mental health challenges, or substance use issues. By connecting people with flexible rental assistance and support services within our community, we can improve their chances of staying housed. Long-term, living here needs to become more affordable. Residents in Monroe County, particularly in low-income and renter-occupied households, are paying too large a percentage of their income on housing. Easing this burden should reduce the likelihood of residents becoming unhoused.”
- “Local government and community stakeholders will have to engage on this in a few ways. That work is underway. I believe we need to continue investments into the existing Heading Home plan that Monroe County supports. This plan identifies a range of solutions, from fundamental infrastructure investments to data sharing, with a priority of a housing-first model to alleviate the crisis. More can be gleaned from https://headinghomeindiana.org/the-plan/. We can also increase housing stock for low-income households, help landlords with incentives for affordable housing, and expand the health care and income opportunities for those experiencing housing insecurity. This requires buy-in from everyone participating.”
- “As a member of the now defunct Affordable Housing Advisory Commission, we made recommendations to make “housing a human right” a reality that are still not implemented. We can, with smart use of the ARPA funds that remain, build emergency housing, sanitation, and support the NGOs that already lead on this issue. We should treat the challenges the unhoused face as the disaster it is – no differently than a tornado displacing those with houses. I’d like to see us fund our values and put our money where our mouth is, if you will, on putting the rungs back on the housing security ladder. With much more urgency, we need to roll back 20 years of inflationary & mental health challenges, that more of our neighbors experiencing homelessness face.”
- “Those places having fewer obvious homelessness issues reportedly encourage unhoused people to move to other cities, including our own. Instead of transporting the homeless away, Bloomington and Monroe County have favored providing housing along with supportive services. Winter conditions stress both housing and other basic needs because many people still live in scattered tent camps. While public and private funding is directed to support new construction projects to provide additional long-term housing and services, I doubt that we can build enough to solve the issue. I think we should fully explore additional alternatives, e.g., the pros and cons of organized tent encampments or neighborhoods of “tiny houses” centered around services.”
