Council meeting tonight regarding ordinance about procedures for displacing individuals experiencing homelessness

[Prospect Hill]

This evening (2/24) is a meeting of the council's Committee of the Whole regarding a proposed ordinance that dictates a set of procedures to be followed by the city before displacing individuals experiencing homelessness.

This is all 9 members functioning as a committee, as opposed to the usual recurring council meetings you may be used to. It's a full discussion of an ordinance with public comment on it and the new ordinance is the only agenda item (aside from an unrelated special session at 6 pm which is an Environmental Commission report)

The Second Reading will be March 3rd during a regular Council meeting, and this is most likely when there will be a final vote on the ordinance.

Here are some resources about the ordinance
Be sure to check out these resources if you'd like to make a comment at the meeting tonight and/or contact your council reps (contact info below):

B Square Beacon Feb 23rd: Bloomington’s proposed law protecting encampments puts housing first: “We can’t shelter our way out of this problem.”

B Square Beacon Feb 18th: Bloomington city council makes procedural debate out of prep for deliberations on homeless encampment ordinance

Full Text of the proposed ordinance.

Brief overview:

• The ability of the city to designate certain limited areas on public property where camps are allowed - but must be within a mile of a meal provider that serves prepared meals at least 5 days per week
• Written notice to be provided by the city to the individual experiencing homelessness at least15 days before a displacement (in non-emergency conditions)
• If a situation is deemed an emergency, the city must make the grounds for this determination available to the public and to City Council
• Collaboration between the city and other partners to ensure that individuals who are being displaced are offered available transitional housing or permanent housing
• A prohibition on displacing a person experiencing homelessness from a camp if there is insufficient available housing available
• Guidelines for storage by the city of certain nonperishable personal items

Meeting & Comment Info

February 24, 2021 - Committee of the Whole at 6:30 pm Accessible via Zoom

Jim Sims (At-Large) sim...@bloomington.in.gov
Matt Flaherty (At-Large) matt.f...@bloomington.in.gov
Susan Sandberg (At-Large) sand...@bloomington.in.gov
Kate Rosenbarger (District I) kate.ros...@bloomington.in.gov
Steve Volan (District 6) vol...@bloomington.in.gov

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Mail to: Glenda Murray (Treasurer), 525 West Third, Bloomington, IN 47404

 

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