Frozen and Forgotten: An Unhoused Winter in Bloomington-Normal
WGLT's multimedia project ‒ including WGLT’s first-ever video documentary ‒ chronicling what it’s like to be unhoused in Bloomington-Normal during the cold winter months. Debuts in February 2025. Produced by WGLT's Melissa Ellin and Emily Bollinger.
Questions about this project? Contact news@wglt.org.
Questions about this project? Contact news@wglt.org.
Join us in person at 6 p.m. Feb. 26 for the debut screening of the 30-minute video documentary Frozen and Forgotten: An Unhoused Winter in Bloomington-Normal, followed by a panel discussion with some of the organizations and unhoused people featured in the documentary.
This event will be held at the Bloomington Public Library, 205 E. Olive St., in Community Room 2.
If you need a special accommodation to fully participate, please contact WGLT at (309) 438-2255 or wglt@ilstu.edu. Please allow sufficient time to arrange the accommodation.
This event will be held at the Bloomington Public Library, 205 E. Olive St., in Community Room 2.
If you need a special accommodation to fully participate, please contact WGLT at (309) 438-2255 or wglt@ilstu.edu. Please allow sufficient time to arrange the accommodation.
Listen to the audio series starting Feb. 17 on WGLT’s newsmagazine Sound Ideas, airing at 5 p.m. each day. Listen on 89.1 FM or stream on WGLT.org or the NPR App. Companion written stories will be published each day on WGLT.org.
Recent stories about homelessness
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Representatives from five McLean County housing and service outreach organizations attended the Continuum of Care conference on Thursday in Bloomington. They spoke about their successes, challenges and what the future of housing looks like. -
Violations can escalate from a citation to a ban from the area to arrest. The ordinance states people will be given a chance to comply first and specifies it isn't meant to deny anyone access to public space "solely because the person is homeless." -
The revisions are meant to curtail “camping-type activities, excessive amounts of personal property, unattended personal property, storage of personal property on site, blocking of access points and excessive occupation of waiting areas," according to a memo from city staff. -
The chair of the McLean County Board said she is not yet satisfied with the solution of a loan to the village of Hudson to make up for an error in tax collection. -
The Town of Normal is looking to strengthen its code of conduct in and around Uptown Station, which has seen an increase in homeless people gathering on the property in recent months. -
When Daniel Kern officially founded the nonprofit Kernovate in 2025, he hoped to solve three problems: diverting mattresses from landfills, giving beds to those in need and providing work opportunities. -
Agencies that provide homeless services in Bloomington-Normal are sounding an alarm over changing federal guidelines that may reduce funding for those programs. -
Bloomington-Normal saw a drop in its homeless population in early 2026, while regional data indicates an increase. Advocates attribute that to more robust reporting and more counties participating. -
In his first State of the City speech, Bloomington Mayor Dan Brady said the city has accomplished a lot in his first year in office. -
Leaders of Home Sweet Home Ministries in Bloomington and Hope on 5th in Lincoln shared stories about housing shelters during Tuesday's Women to Women Spring Forum at the Bloomington Public Library. -
When the donation goes through, Home Sweet Home will own properties that serve the unhoused population on three adjacent blocks south of Downtown Bloomington. -
Shelter villages offer temporary and private places for the unhoused to sleep and store belongings. One of the newest, The Bridge, opened recently in central Illinois.
