The McLean County Regional Planning Commission has released a draft of its regional housing recovery plan for public comment. That's supposed to draw a road map for Bloomington-Normal and the region to address housing shortages and housing needs of specific groups of people.
Recommendations include finding ways to better coordinate regional resources, expand a centralized housing information hub, develop and host a housing education campaign, extend the position of housing navigator housed within Mid Central Community Action, review land use and zoning (something the cities already have plans to do), look for state grants, and work to expand permanent supportive housing that can reduce the number of unhoused people in the area.
One overarching theme of the report is a call to improve coordination and delivery of services, grant opportunities and communication among stakeholders to address housing issues. The report recommends the creation of a Regional Housing Coordinator.
“We believe there is a need, at least at the start, for a full-time person to look at the recommendations and implement them working with different partners,” said Regional Planning Commission Director Raymond Lai.
Lai said there should also be an Intergovernmental Housing Recovery Implementation Committee to define goals and metrics.
The plan notes there is limited affordability, not much choice for young professionals or seniors, not much housing diversity, barriers to access for low-income people, and rising homeless and poverty rates.
Poverty
Poverty levels have increased in McLean County over the five-year period between 2016 and 2021.
- McLean County: +1.5 points to 15.7%
- Bloomington: +0.6 points to 13.5%
- Normal: +3.4 points to 25.6%
The poverty rate for African Americans is much higher than for the population as a whole, the report said.
12.3% of white residents fell below the poverty threshold in 2022. 37% of Black residents fell below the same threshold. Hispanic or Latino residents experience poverty at higher-than-average rates in McLean County, as well.
The plan suggests a substantial part of the community above the poverty line is "rent burdened" — those who pay more than 30% of their income for housing.
“A little over one-fifth of households spent more than 50% of their income on housing costs,” said the study.
The report called on policymakers to think about promoting equitable solutions that alleviate racial disparities and target groups who have historically needed more access and more stable housing.
It suggests continuing the Housing Navigator position at Mid Central Community Action beyond its original two-year funding limit.
“If there is an opportunity to extend that, whether it is from municipal funding or other sources, there is definitely a need for functions and services provided by that position,” said Lai.
Homeless
The report noted homeless rates in McLean County in 2022 were at a four-year high. The 865 evictions in 2023 were nearly as many as there were in 2022, which contributed to the rise in homelessness.
“In 2022, there were more than 1,200 homeless persons in the county — 200 of which were children. The number of homeless households has increased by 160% since 2019,” said the report.
Commission community planner Mark Adams said at a recent Economic Development Council housing summit that high rents and low vacancy rates are the dominant factors in the rise of homelessness since the pandemic.
The recovery plan cited research that said homelessness is a systemic issue due to inadequate affordable housing, not individual failings or crises.
“Based on point-in-time counts from 2023 from the Bloomington/Central IL Continuum of Care and the formula provided by the Corporation for Supportive Housing, at least 330-350 new permanent supportive housing units are needed to meet the growing demand due to rising homelessness,” said the report.
Those numbers do not include unhoused people who couch surf or double up. It suggests more thorough study to create a better estimate of the need for supportive housing.
The plan calls for improved access to transitional and supportive housing, outreach to the homeless, and efforts to address specific needs of marginalized groups.
Housing availability
Over the last two decades McLean County’s apartment inventory has risen by 20%, or by just under 2,300 units. Most of those were market rate. And the number of Low-Income Housing Tax Credit units is falling.
The plan suggested several policy initiatives to stimulate creation of housing:
- Zoning reforms to allow housing options beyond single-family homes, including apartments, duplexes, mixed-use developments, and potentially Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and tiny homes.
- Financial assistance programs: to ease upfront rental costs, support first-time homeownership, and potentially offer rental assistance.
- Encouraging infill development: exploring innovative housing models, and potentially implementing affordable housing requirements for developers.
- Improved rental regulations: stricter rules to curb predatory practices and enforce existing regulations and exploring rent control measures.
Still other recommendations involve investing in better public transportation so people can get to jobs and education, and education to reduce NIMBYism that highlights benefits of diverse housing options and inclusive community development.
The commission has set a two-week public comment period ending March 14, to better comply with a state grant-imposed deadline to produce a final plan by the end of the month. Read the plan and comment.
