By Jake Fogal

BLOOMINGTON – The homeless encampment that grew in downtown Bloomington was shutdown in mid-October, but the issue has stayed top of mind for City officials.

Before its closure, around 30 individuals called a tent city home in the Eastview Church parking lot near its Community Center on Mission Drive.

Bloomington City Manager Jeff Jurgens say’s even though the area was disbanded, the problem of homelessness has not magically gone away.

Jurgens spoke with WJBC’s Scott Miller.

‘Its a big issue still. We had the encampment on the Eastview parking lot disbanded, but there are other encampments that have popped up.” Jurgens said.

“We called a meeting of service providers last week. We had about 45 different people at the Bloomington Public Library giving reports on what the different agency’s are doing and how people can work together and help address some of the issues that we are experiencing with the tent encampments.”

Jurgens adds that the goal is not a temporary solution as the winter season is on the horizon, but instead a comprehensive approach that offers stable housing and essential services to help homeless individuals.

The City has been working with Eastview Christian Church, Home Sweet Home Ministries and the Salvation Army for months to develop a better solution.

Jake Fogal can be reached at [email protected].