Bloomington partnering with Salvation Army to expand shelter services

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD) — The city of Bloomington announced a collaboration with the Salvation Army to expand the nonprofit’s shelter services, in the city’s ongoing effort to deal with homeless encampments in a “compassionate manner.”

It marks the end of a temporary tent encampment that was located near downtown Bloomington, and city manager Jeff Jurgens waived certain city code requirements to make this possible.

He said this is an “important step forward,” but there’s work left to do.

“Being able to have the Salvation Army expand their capacity, have all of the local service providers working together to meet the needs of the homeless individuals is a great step and we’re excited about it. But there’s still a lot of work to do, this is not a long-term solution,” he said.

The shelter is located in the Salvation Army’s cafeteria, on West Washington Street.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CIProud.com.