Renamed city commission to focus on status of youth

The Bloomington City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to change the name of the Community and Family Resources Commission to the Commission on the Status of Children and Youth.

But the vote was for more than just a new identity, said Pete Giordano, director of the Community and Family Resources Department. It will restructure the commission’s work altogether.

During the council meeting, Councilwoman Susan Sandberg said she has worked closely with the commission and said it has struggled to find a clear mission for several years.

“They have had kind of a generalized focus over the years, and I think they will be more productive and contribute more to the community by taking a narrow focus that they can achieve more within that narrower range,” Giordano said. “This process has been kind of a long time coming in terms of having the need to refocus this commission in a way that allows it to function like the other commissions we have here.”

The Community and Family Resources Commission was established in 1983 under the name “Human Resources Commission.” At that time, only a handful of social service agencies existed in Bloomington, according to the council’s legislative packet.

The Commission was established to help increase the capacity of local social service agencies. It was renamed the Community and Family Resources Commission in 1997, but the mission remained largely unchanged.

But now, the city has an increased number of social service agencies. Seven agencies exist within the Community and Family Resources Department, focusing on topics from homelessness to the Latino community.

This new direction, Giordano said, will bring the Commission on the Status of Children and Youth in line with other city commissions by focusing on a specific sector of the population.

“We will move from a generalized focus to one focusing specifically on youth and children,” Giordano said.

For the last several months, Giordano said the commission has been focusing primarily on its restructuring, but its main focus will be to identify and assess needs relating to resources and services provided to area children and youth; to encourage collaboration between local agencies, schools, businesses and individuals; to monitor legislative developments; to advocate for local, state and federal legislation aimed to improve the lives of children; and to empower children to reach their full potential.

Nine members are currently appointed to the commission, with five appointed by the mayor and four by the City Council. Despite changes in the overall focus, Giordano said representation will continue unchanged.