Shelter Inc. brought back as 'emergency shelter'

A loss of funding forced Shelter Inc., 919 S. Rogers St., to announce its complete dissolution June 19. \nImmediately after, Perry Township, where Shelter Inc. is located, has funded $14,000 to keep the operation running. The temporary shelter will be run from the original Shelter Inc. location and will be operated by the nearby Community Kitchen through Aug. 31.\nShelter Inc. asked a group of community leaders for emergency funding through July until possibly receiving approval for a Neighborhood Assistance Program, where people would be encouraged to donate more with the lure of tax credits. However, this would not guarantee the continued success of Shelter Inc. \n"You could see the economics of it; we would rather give $14,000 to keep it running temporarily than take a $40,000 risk," Perry Township trustee Dan Combs said. \nThe emergency shelter will stay open from 4 p.m. to 8 a.m. in order to give Bloomington's homeless a place to sleep. Community Kitchen Executive Director Julio Alonso will oversee the temporary operations at the emergency shelter, but Community Kitchen caseworker Pat Lucas, who formerly worked for Shelter Inc., will run the "frontlines," Alonso said. \nThe Community Kitchen also has temporarily hired four house manager supervisors from the defunct Shelter Inc. \nThe emergency shelter will house 28 individuals each night, which is only a small portion of the city's homeless population. Alonso said the homeless problem is "worse than many think."\nDonna Jaques, executive director for the Shalom Center, which is a resource center for Bloomington's homeless and people in poverty, said the city's homeless are not like the rest.\n"Bloomington has an average homeless problem for a town of its size, but the city doesn't have the stereotypical homeless where people have all of their possessions in a shopping cart and such," Jaques said. "Most homeless people in Bloomington are 'doubling up' -- they live and sleep in a friends' couch or backyard."\nGordon, a homeless man who declined to give his last name, said Bloomington offers plenty of places for the homeless to find food. He is involved with Ground Scores, a group that accepts donations at The Farmers Market every Saturday from 7 a.m. to noon. \nA large group of community leaders, including representatives from The Salvation Army, The Community Kitchen and Deputy Mayor James McNamara are working to find a permanent homeless shelter to replace Shelter Inc. \nBev Moffitt, who heads the group, said it will "focus narrowly" at serving only the homeless community located at the Rogers Street facility. The working title of the group is "Emergency Housing Work Group," which will be a non-profit organization like its predecessor, Shelter Inc.\n"We are just exploring our options by beginning committee meetings," said Major Steven Koehler, a representative of The Salvation Army. \nWhether it will be taken up by an already existing non-profit group in town or become a new organization is "up in the air," Alonso said.\nAdditionally, The Salvation Army is working out a deal with Perry Township where they will run an 11-unit building on Dodds Street, south of First Street. The transitional home is meant to help individuals and families move from shelters to permanent residences. Officials said they plan to open the building in September.\nIn addition to the temporary shelter run by The Community Kitchen, there are a few options for Bloomington's homeless. The Shalom Center, which is attached to the First United Methodist Church on the corner of Fourth and Washington streets, is a good place for the city's homeless to find help getting back on their feet by finding a new home and finding work during the day, Jaques said. \nOther establishments include The Middle Way House, which provides housing for abused women and their children, and Backstreet Missions Inc., which provides aid for single men. The Salvation Army also pays for a handful of people to stay in local, undisclosed hotels.