The senior deputy city manager for the City of Bloomington said conversations about helping people who are homeless will continue, while expressing support that the housing crisis is getting more attention despite city opposition to the governor's BUILD legislation.
Agencies that provide homeless services in Bloomington-Normal are sounding an alarm over changing federal guidelines that may reduce funding for those programs. The government appears to be moving away from favoring programs with a "shelter first" priority.
Not-for-profit agencies have said shared sales tax money distributed through McLean County may not be sufficient to keep some programs going.
In a Sound Ideas interview, Bloomington Senior Deputy City Manager Billy Tyus said it's not yet clear whether municipalities will have to do more.
“I think that it's too early to tell what is going to happen with that funding. As you know, a lot of things can change at the federal level. We are paying attention, as are our providers and others in the community. We will have conversations with folks as things progress,” said Tyus.
He said homelessness is a community-wide issue and not as simple as asking what will the city do?
“We do know that providing services for the homeless and our unhoused neighbors is a critical function here in Bloomington and Normal. We don't want to see a lessening of services, and so we will work with partners to try and figure out what would be a next step if there is, in fact, a shift in funding,” said Tyus, who praised community efforts to address needs for people without housing.
“I've been here since 2019 and I haven't seen the level of collaboration and communication like I see it today, and I think that also has a huge impact. We're all talking regularly now and working together to coordinate services and efforts,” said Tyus.
Housing legislation
In the last legislative session, Gov. JP Pritzker failed to advance a package of proposals intended to stimulate housing and affordable housing construction in the state. Municipalities around the state, including Bloomington, opposed the BUILD legislation saying it would result in a loss of local control.
“There could be unintended consequences that come with that, that can create bigger strains on neighborhoods in our communities,” said Tyus.
The non-result was an indication lawmakers not only listened to city and town governments in their districts, but also that the legislation may not have had enough time to cook.
Tyus applauded the governor’s continued attention to the housing crisis.
“We look forward to see what comes next,” said Tyus. “Housing is a critical need in our community, and as is typically the case, they'll get there.”
He said Bloomington and other local governments are giving the issue sustained attention as well.
“We've created a standardized housing plan and program. We're utilizing tools like TIF districts and the Enterprise Zone and others to bring in more housing as well,” said Tyus.
Streetscape construction
On another topic, contractors are now working in the 400 block of North Main Street as part of the Downtown Bloomington streetscape renewal project, and Tyus said they are ahead of schedule. Work will proceed to the 300 block by autumn, and he anticipated it will be complete in the spring of 2027.
“We've run into some, some issues down there, as you can imagine, with 100-year-old infrastructure that have caused us to pivot in some cases, but we're doing that. Things are progressing well,” said Tyus.
Workers have found some sewer mains to be replaced were not in the locations where city records indicated they would be found. That means the work stops until they are relocated. There are other surprises as well.
“Things you didn't know were there, like vaults,” said Tyus. “I think there were six or seven…Some of them are vaults. Some of them are gaps between the building and the right-of-way, when you take the street out.”
Those need to be filled before the street and sidewalks can be replaced. Many were in the block that has Reality Bites and Coffee Hound. Some are in the 300 block near Red Raccoon Games and Spice Works.
“In some cases, they were utilized for storage for existing businesses, but they aren't anymore. In some cases, they housed underground utilities that have now been moved, so there's no need for them,” said Tyus.
He said recent lower-level flooding in some downtown buildings following a heavy rain event cannot be attributed to streetscape construction.
“While it's not related to the work, we are working with them to see how we might be able to help. We're sending out crews of people to meet with those business owners to see exactly what their needs are, and to assess the situations,” said Tyus.
