The Center for Human Services' plans for its first fully-involved supportive housing development project hit a snag, but now the group is hoping to break ground in October.
Sue’s Landing in Bloomington is a planned development meant to house those with severe mental illnesses.
“Really we're looking at individuals whose mental illness keeps them from being able to work a full-time job or be on their own successfully in their own housing,” CHS CEO Joan Hartman said. CHS staff will help those residents attend their psychiatric appointments, take their medication, and budget properly.
CHS planned to purchase property off Martin Luther King Junior Drive, but the deal fell through. Hartman said it took a year to find a new location off Sherman Street.
CHS now owns that property and is collecting bids from developers. Within a few weeks, the center will review bids and award the contract.
Balancing the vision with the cost
The state gave CHS $9 million in 2024, and the group recently received around $170,000 from McLean County, which was used to finish up pre-construction design and planning.
Hartman estimated the project will cost around $11 million in total. They are seeking state Housing and Urban Development funding, as well as other grant and donation opportunities.
“We’re funding some of it ourselves,” Hartman said. She explained the group budgeted to cover some costs above the $9 million they received from the state, but cannot cover the $2 million alone.
“The longer that it takes from the time that you get the funding to the time that you build, there are changes and fluctuations in cost for building and things like that,” Hartman said.
Sue’s Landing will host 24 one-bedroom units. Plans also include a community room, library, fitness room and teaching kitchen. Hartman said the group may have to make tough decisions on what to include in the final project as they balance their vision with the real-world costs. (It's named Sue's Landing after Sue Pirtle, a former CHS clinical director.)
CHS asked the architect to identify where they could save money in the design. There are some things she said she is not willing to compromise on, like installing solar panels on the roof.
“We have a community room with a teaching kitchen, which we believe is really important for the individuals who are going to live there,” Hartman said as another example. “This will really enable us to have really nice cooking classes to help people understand how to prepare health meals, how to stay healthy, food as medicine.”
CHS has also been speaking with the Bloomington Normal Water Reclamation District on how to use its water efficiently and responsibly.
Some people will likely have to wait
Hartman said Sue’s Landing will operate similarly to the CHS’s other supportive housing apartments, which were not built by the center. Hartman said CHS works with a landlord who rents properties to their clients while CHS provides case management services.
CHS will hire a company to manage the day-to-day operations of the apartment building, while staff focus on the mental health needs of the clients.
Hartman said they are working out how tenants will be selected. So far, residents must earn an income equivalent to 30% or less of the area’s median income and must have a mental illness diagnosis or disability. The apartments are supported by a housing voucher, which could come with its own requirements as well. The selection criteria is not finalized yet.
“We anticipate people will make referrals to us from the community,” Hartman said. She anticipated those 24 units would fill up quickly and said there will likely be a waiting list.
Sue’s Landing cannot house families. Each unit is a one-bedroom. Hartman said they could house couples.
