Community discuss homeless discrimination
Police lights were flashing across the street from Peoples Park on Wednesday evening as students and locals met to discuss police discrimination toward the homeless population of the park.
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Police lights were flashing across the street from Peoples Park on Wednesday evening as students and locals met to discuss police discrimination toward the homeless population of the park.
Jo DiBenedetto heard another catcall, aimed at one of his female friends, coming from People’s Park. Then a barrage of blue and red lights illuminated DiBenedetto’s walk home from class. Later that night screaming from the park filtered into DiBenedetto’s room in his Kirkwood Avenue home.
In a push to create more productive careers for Hoosiers, technology companies are creating new jobs around the Indianapolis area.
New Hope is an emergency shelter that provides housing for about 90 days to family units — children and their legal guardians — with no restrictions on marital status, sexual orientation or religion.
The United States has $1.3 trillion of aggregate student debt, and the number continues to grow.
The City of Bloomington Commission on the Status of Children and Youth is seeking nominations for the second annual SWAGGER Awards. SWAGGER stands for Students Who Act Generously, Grow and Earn Respect
Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller presented a $300,000 grant to Indiana Legal Services attorneys in the group’s Bloomington office Thursday, calling it the “first installment” in a series of grants intended to increase legal aid, debt counseling and foreclosure prevention.
Ryan Stacy likes to say while money isn’t everything, money is behind everything.
By Brian Gamache
Exports in Indiana declined in 2013 after a record high the previous year.
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation plans to increase Indiana’s economic vibrancy by analyzing the economies of regional cities and applying similar strategies across Indiana.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Indiana Chamber of Commerce recently published the June update for its Vision for 2025 project. The Indiana Vision for 2025 started in 2012 with the objective of providing the state with a list of social and economic goals to achieve by 2025.This isn’t the Chamber’s first foray into a vision plan. At the start of the century, the group created a plan for 2010. Unsatisfied with the progress, the Chamber decided to create another plan, one intended to be far more comprehensive and ambitious. The Chamber of Commerce recruited 24 business leaders from across the state, and together, the two groups spent nearly two years crafting an outline and establishing the project’s mission, which reads: “Indiana will be a global leader in innovation and economic opportunity where enterprises and citizens prosper.” Cameron Carter, vice president of Economic Development and Federal Affairs at the Chamber, was appointed project manager.“We formed a task force, consulted issue experts and talked about what really drives prosperous economies like we have in Indiana,” Carter said. “The purpose of this project is essentially to increase the prosperity of Hoosiers across the board. That’s the reason we developed the plan.”The plan, which took a year and a half to create, is divided into four sections: outstanding talent, attractive business climate, superior infrastructure and dynamic and creative culture. Each section, or “driver,” contains several initiatives and highlights areas that need improvement. “We identified four key drivers and provided a list of goals for each driver,” Carter said. “Overall, these goals are ambitious.”In the June update, areas where the Chamber noticed setbacks and improvements are highlighted. Under the section devoted to the state’s business climate, there’s an addendum that notes the passing of the right-to-work statute by the Indiana Legislature in 2012, a primary goal of the project. The majority of goals in the Vision for 2025 aren’t political, like increasing college graduation rates or lowering obesity levels. But Carter said he has learned that any topic, no matter how nonpartisan it might seem, can fall victim to the politicization process. “We have seen topics get pretty political,” Carter said. “For example, local smoking ordinances and statewide smoking bans can generate some political discussions. There has been a lot of politicization concerning public education, as well.” Carter went on to note that politicization should be expected any time there is interaction with the policy-making process. “We are far less interested in politics at the Indiana Chamber of Commerce than we are good public policy,” he said. “The political arguments are the means to a given end, not the end itself.”The Vision for 2025 is a challenging project, and while some goals have already been met, there is still a significant amount of work left to be done, Carter said. “We’re making good progress and achievements, but challenges remain,” he said. “We purposefully put together a lot of stretch goals. Even if we fall short of one goal, it still works to Indiana’s advantage.”Russell Smith
Officers were called to the justice building at approximately 3:44 p.m. Thursday after learning someone had been going around town and dropping large sums of money.The money was found by civilians in several parts of Bloomington, especially the downtown area.Sightings occurred around Seventh Street and College Avenue, East Tenth Street and the northside bypass.The money reportedly caused traffic congestion.Many of the pedestrians who found the money turned it into bailiffs, police officers and the mayor’s office. The total sum of money dropped is currently unknown, though it is suspected that the total was somewhere in the thousands.A 49-year-old male came forward Friday morning after checking himself into the IU health hospital and claimed the money was his.He checked himself in to undergo a mental evaluation.The money is currently being retained for safekeeping at the Bloomington Police Department. If anyone founds a large sum of money lying in the streets, please report it to the local police department.At this time, this is a civil case, not a criminal case.Brian Seymour
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Bloomington Economic Development Corporation presented the fourth-annual “State of the Bloomington Regional Economy” report last week at the Bloomington-Monroe County Convention Center.The BEDC is a nonprofit, public-private partnership dedicated to the development of quality jobs in Monroe County, according to a press release.A meeting was organized Wednesday to present the data to almost 200 attendees at the convention center.The report highlighted developments across Monroe County. It included updates on Bloomington’s Certified Technology Park, which encompasses 65 acres of downtown and is home to several technology companies. The City of Bloomington currently owns 12 of those acres.A redevelopment plan for the technology park aims to attract technology jobs and enhance public amenities such as green space. The state awards CTP designation to communities that are partnering with a research institution and that meet certain criteria.These criteria include a commitment from a technology business to create jobs in the park and the existence of a business incubator, according to bloomington.in.gov.The report also noted that the number of downtown businesses has increased 30 percent in the past 15 years, and the local per capita income is up 4 percent since 2010, according to the release.In 2012-13 17 businesses expanded, 128 opened and 87 closed in downtown Bloomington, according to the report.There are 906 businesses for a total of 13,100 employees working in the downtown area, according to the report. The report noted the city and county government are two large employers. Downtown includes the area between the boundaries of Second Street, Indiana Avenue, 11th Street and Rogers Street, according to the report.The report also showed $45 million in private money was invested in downtown Bloomington in 2013-14 and that tourism grew by 16 percent from 2009 to 2013.Existing home sales in Bloomington were up 9.3 percent in 2013, the report said. It noted that foreclosure rates in Monroe, Greene and Owen counties have improved for a rate of 1 in 8,000 in February 2014. Indiana had a rate of 1 in 1,000 for the same month.Rebecca Kimberly
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Audience members were moved to tears as they listened to personal stories relating to homelessness at the city council meeting last night. The Wednesday night meeting started with 20 minutes of public comment from 15 different speakers, 14 with a vested interest in providing summer shelter to tenants of Interfaith Winter Shelter, who will be without shelter come April 1. “There are worse things that Bloomington could be known for than compassion,” said Stephanie Waller, IU student and an Interfaith volunteer. Several speakers were students at the IU School of Social Work who also volunteered at the Interfaith shelter.IU student and Interfaith volunteer Gabriela Morales was brought to tears at the podium. She said she didn’t want to go to a college in a town that treated people this way.Others in the audience were also moved by the poems, testimonials and pleas of speakers.Kathy Byers, director at the IU School of Social Work, stressed collective and cooperative action on the parts of city government, social services and community activists.“You cannot get your life together, you cannot address your addiction, you cannot get a job without a place to sleep at night,” she said.Bloomington resident Glenn Carter emphasized the city’s lack of concern for people without money, and its close relationship to IU. While opponents of the initiative to create a summer shelter criticize people experiencing homelessness for substance abuse, Carter said college students have similar habits and the city condones it because of their class in society.The need for a low-barrier shelter in Bloomington was a main point in the commentary. Low-barrier shelters, unlike local existing high-barrier shelters such as Martha’s House, have only one requirement for entry — that tenants exhibit respectful behavior. High-barrier shelters only accept tenants who are sober, Monroe county citizens with no history of sexual abuse.Samantha Harrell, who directs IWS on Sunday nights, asked the council members to reconsider the city’s hesitant position on low barrier shelters. Mayor Mark Kruzan has been open about his opposition to the opening of a summer shelter, because he said he thinks many homeless people do not hail from Monroe County.Harrell stressed that the low barrier model was effective.“I’m in awe at the work that the community is doing to respond to this crisis,” Harrell said. “I’m asking one of you to step up.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Indiana Department of Local Government Finance approved Bloomington Township’s 2014 Budget despite protests from 17 residents regarding salary raises for top officials.On Sept. 9, 2013, these residents filed a formal petition to be received by the township. The petition protested salary increases for Trustee Lillian Henegar, Deputy Trustee Lisa Philips and Senior Caseworker Carilyn Dillman.The petition also opposed contracts that provide fire department services to Benton and Washington townships with taxpayer money. The Bloomington Township Board passed the budget plan Sept. 26, 2013, and it was approved by the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance on Feb. 6. The approved budget increased Henegar and Philips’ salaries by roughly 11 percent. Dillman’s salary also increased based on an increase from 30 hours of work per week to 40 hours. Specifically, Henegar’s salary rose from $40,186 in 2013 to $44,898, Philips’ from $36,400 to $41,600 and Dillman’s from $32,164 to $41,010. The residents called the trustee and deputy trustee increases “excessive,” while other taxing units in the county are providing 2-percent increases, according to the petition. Protesters said the caseworker’s salary increase is within line with that of other employees. However, they argue all of these salaries are based on a 40-hour week, though the township office is only open 30 hours per week. The office is open from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.In her response to the petition, Henegar argued that the salaries were increased to be more in line with comparable positions in other county townships. She cited the Van Buren trustee’s salary in 2013, which was $44,900, and the Perry Township deputy trustee’s, which was $47,362. Henegar also claimed a sufficient salary is necessary to attract a qualified manager. The Bloomington Township deputy trustee serves as office manager, overseeing day-to-day operations. Similarly, Henegar called the township’s office hours “comparable” to other county townships. “The Township staff work seven to eight hours a day for the township,” she said. “The office is closed from noon to 1 p.m. in order to allow staff uninterrupted time to work on cases and other responsibilities as well as to eat lunch. Even when the doors are closed, staff is working for the township.”Dillman returns to a 40-hour workweek in 2014, Henegar said. Therefore, the caseworker’s salary has been raised to be consistent with the lowest-paid Perry Township caseworker. The fourth and fifth points of the residents’ petition protested the use of taxpayer funds to provide fire services to other townships, specifically Benton and Washington townships, unless there is an equal return in monetary support to the Bloomington Township.“The Washington and Benton Township fire contracts allow us to help ensure the residents of those townships receive adequate fire and emergency services while enabling the township to retain three paid career firefighters on every shift and ensuring the quality of service for all three townships,” Henegar said.The residents argued taxpayer funds could be put toward the Bloomington Township and not benefit other townships with much lower tax levies and rates. However, Henegar argues the contracts provide a critical service to the other townships, even if they are expensive.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>One in three foreclosed homes in the Indianapolis-Carmel metro area sat abandoned last year, more than anywhere else in the country, according to data gathered from realty analytics firm RealtyTrac.In Gary a program announced in June sought to relieve the city’s massive blight crisis by selling abandoned properties for a dollar each.While RealtyTrac shows the statewide rate of foreclosures is on par with the national average, abandonment of those homes in certain regions is so bad that the state reallocated $75 million from a foreclosure avoidance program to one dedicated to mopping up the effects of foreclosure — the Blight Elimination Program.The program allows local governments to apply for funds to supplement the high cost of demolition.Bloomington’s situation isn’t as severe as Gary’s or Indianapolis’, but local government is discussing this week whether to submit an application for program funds, said Lisa Abbott, director of the Housing and Neighborhood Development Department.“We’re looking at whether or not we think we can submit a competitive grant application,” Abbott said. “We’re up against counties that have more housing issues than we do.”A number of factors play into the decision, most of them demographic, she said. HAND looks at the type of housing, locations, how scattered they are and whether they can be fixed before making a decision on demolition.“We didn’t have the huge foreclosure that other communities have, so we didn’t have a lot of foreclosed abandoned properties,” Abbott said. “We have a few — Indianapolis has complete blocks.”Abbott said HAND’s efforts to monitor properties in question drives down the risk of abandonment or blight.“We have some scattered, abandoned properties, most of which are on our watch list, and we’re usually pretty good about making sure they’re sealed up,” Abbot said. “We drive by periodically to make sure. You know, it’s not a lot.”Abbott said out of a community of 35,000 housing units, Bloomington saw only 28 unsafe orders last year, registered for homes that required sealing, repair or removal — some of them due to fires.“To compare, Indy removed 2,000 structures,” Abbott said.HAND plans to decide next week on whether to apply for state Blight Elimination Program funds, Abbott said.Follow reporter Steven Johnson on Twitter @stetyjohn.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Bureau of Labor Statistics released data last Friday indicating Indiana workers are slightly below the national average in union membership. The United States had an 11.3 percent average of workers who were union members in 2013, a statistic that was unchanged from 2012. Indiana reported a 9.3 percent union membership, which represented a slight increase from 9.1 percent in 2012. These numbers do not represent U.S. or Indiana employees who do not report union affiliation, but whose jobs are still covered by a union. Twenty-seven states reported higher union membership rates than Indiana. North Carolina had the lowest rate for 2013 at 3 percent. New York had the highest rate at 24.4 percent. Thomas E. Perez, U.S. secretary of labor, said in a statement union members had higher salaries and better benefits, such as health insurance and vacation leave, compared to non-unionized workers in 2013.“Among full-time wage and salary workers, union members have higher median weekly earnings than nonunion workers,” Perez said in the release. “The median weekly earnings of union members were $950, compared to $750 for nonunion workers.”— Mary Katherine Wildeman
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Earlier this year, the Indiana General Assembly passed a law to change the dispersal dates of the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Plan benefits, also known as food stamps.The changes go into effect Jan. 1, and Indiana’s Department of Family and Social Services is working to inform the 926,000 people who receive SNAP benefits in Indiana.“The law was passed by general assembly earlier this year, but it’s the FSSA’s job to implement the changes,” said Marni Lemons, deputy director of communications and media at FSSA.Lemons said the change should spread demand over the entire month. “Under the previous dispersal schedule, SNAP recipients were receiving their benefits in the first 10 days of the month,” Lemons said. “So demand was really high at the beginning of the month, but not so high the rest of the month.”The new schedule will disperse benefits to households beginning on the fifth of each month and continuing on odd numbered days until the 23rd. To ease the transition, FSSA is dispersing half of the SNAP benefits on the recipients’ old dispersal date and half on the new date for the month of January only.Follow reporter Brianna Meyer on Twitter @brimmeyer.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>An unemployment benefit program that has aided more than 600,000 Hoosiers since it began is planned to expire by the end of December. The benefit program was signed in 2008 to provide emergency federal benefits during the recession.According to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, around 18,800 Hoosiers are currently receiving the extended benefits.Joe Frank, a spokesman for The Indiana Department of Workforce Development, said Hoosiers initial claims for unemployment benefits are the lowest they’ve been since the program started. “We’re just not seeing the claims traffic like we’ve seen since before the recession,” Frank said.Frank said the decline in claims is a result of fewer unemployed Hoosiers and more people going back to work.“From what we’re seeing is, there’s just more jobs,” Frank said. “Businesses are creating more jobs, more jobs are available, and people are just going back to work. The raw numbers show that people are going back to work.”Indiana’s unemployment rate is 7.5 percent, compared to the 7.3 percent national rate. Indiana’s unemployment rate level will qualify Hoosiers to receive 37 weeks of extra benefits through the federal unemployment extension after the 26 weeks expire.“Our unemployment rate over the past three plus months has gone down by nearly 1 percentage point,” Frank said. “The unemployment rate for Indiana for October was down to 7.5 percent and back in July it was at 8.4 percent and statistically that’s a large decline.”Frank said Hoosiers would still be entitled to all the services that WorkOne offers to anybody that is a job seeker if the benefits expire.“They can certainly come into WorkOne if they haven’t already, and we sure hope they have already, to try to see what different education and training services we offer through WorkOne so we can get them back to work as soon as possible,” Frank said.However, Derek Thomas, senior policy analyst for the Indiana Institute for Working Families, said his concern with cutting the extended relief is that it will drive more people to give up looking for work altogether and drop out of the labor force.“Hoosiers have seen stagnating wages, and one-third of our state is below levels of economic self sufficiency, which means they can’t afford the most basic needs of a family and now is not the time to be cutting more benefits for Hoosier families,” Thomas said.In the fourth quarter of 2012, 67 percent of Indiana’s unemployed were not receiving unemployment insurance benefits, the 42nd least generous in the U.S, Thomas said. Thomas said Indiana has some of the lowest average weekly unemployment benefits and also have more poverty-waged jobs than all of its neighboring states. “Cutting unemployment benefits is not going to magically encourage folks to just start going out and looking for work when the pay is still below the poverty guidelines, when many of these jobs being created are poverty-waged jobs,” Thomas said.Thomas said they have been proposing a policy called Work Sharing, a bill that would help to reduce the costs of the state’s long term unemployment to tax payers through benefits and also to the workers.“While we support the extension of long term benefits in the short run, we’d also like lawmakers to start thinking about how we can better design our unemployment benefit system,” Thomas said.Thomas said people need to start raising the minimum wage and making some changes to the unemployment system, i.e. Work Share.“As long as we keep taking money out of the hands of families, whether it be unemployment benefits, SNAP benefits, the more this is going to affect our overall economy because families don’t have enough of the money to spend within their communities,” Thomas said. “These policies are not just there to provide some integrity and relief to families, but they are also economic development policies.” Follow reporter Alli Friedman on Twitter @allifrie.