Nonprofits seek boost from city in trying time

The Bloomington City Council will vote to distribute funds from its annual Jack Hopkins Social Service Grant on June 15 at the next City Council meeting.

This year, $383,367 is being requested from the City Council.

Only $226,000 will be distributed this year, an increase from $200,000 awarded last year, City Council President Susan Sandberg said. The money acquired from the grant helps to fund individual projects requested by local organizations.

“In spite of the steady increases in the Jack Hopkins Social Services Fund, the need also continues to grow,” Sandberg said. “More homeless shelter services are needed, and more of those in need of emergency shelter are a growing number of women and children.”

Due to decreased funding at the federal and state level, many organizations have made significant cuts.

“We have given up employee health insurance,” said Bobbie Summers, executive director of Martha’s House — a community housing shelter. “Taking that out was the last wiggle room I had.”

Summers said often those who come to Martha’s House are the most vulnerable or downtrodden.

“There are so many layers of issues — abuse, abandonment, loss of jobs, severe illness — not a penny coming in. And incredible expense is needed to make people feel okay,” Summers said.

The Jack Hopkins Grant has helped fill gaps in funding brought on by delays in grant funding and reduced funding from federal and state sources, Summers said.

This year, Martha’s House has requested $25,000 for its emergency shelter program.
Other organizations, like Stone Belt Arc, Inc., which provides assistance to individuals with disabilities, are also facing cuts from the federal and state level.

“In one way or another, nearly every client that we serve is affected,” Leslie Green, director of Stone Belt, said.

Residential and work programs, employee benefits and salaries and nonessential spending has not escaped being cut, she said.

Cuts in Medicaid waivers, which Stone Belt uses to encourage independent livability programs, in-home care and education assistance with its clients, have brought Stone Belt to its breaking point.

“If we were to receive any additional cuts, it would really start to have an impact on client services,” Green said.

Stone Belt is currently requesting $15,275 from the Jack Hopkins fund for electronic health record keeping.  

Sandberg said while she is proud of the work the Jack Hopkins fund does for the benefit of the community and its social service networks, the need continues to grow.

“When community need is great, we step up to do the critical work that needs to be done,” she said.