The Invisible Struggle: Family Homelessness in Bloomington
At first glance, Bloomington is a picture of summertime joy. The pools are full, children are laughing, and the line at The Chocolate Moose stretches down the block. Families gather to savor warm evenings and the ease of the season. But for many families in Monroe County, summer is not a time of leisure, it’s a time of survival.
Family homelessness is a persistent and largely invisible crisis in our community. It does not always look like what people expect. It can mean sleeping in a car. It can mean doubling up with friends or relatives. It can mean a family separating because they can’t all go together. These are the kinds of scenarios that far too many families in Bloomington quietly endure — without notice, without support, and without a path forward. Though most people can’t easily see it, each year, families with children make up 30-40% of our community’s annual survey of people experiencing homelessness (1).
At New Hope for Families, we make that struggle visible and we offer solutions. On an average night in Monroe County, 91 children are homeless. New Hope is here to make sure none of them have to sleep outside, live in a car, or be separated from their loved ones in order to be safe.
A Growing Crisis in Indiana
Across the state, the data paints a stark picture. A recent report from Indiana University found only 34 affordable and available units exist for every 100 extremely low-income households in Indiana (2). That gap means families have two choices: live somewhere unsafe or unstable, or live someplace you can’t actually afford. In Monroe County, more than 60% of renters are rent-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their gross income on rent (3), and that’s a precarious place to be. Being seriously rent-burdened makes it nearly impossible to recover from a job loss, medical emergency, or other life-altering event.
New Hope’s mission is to stop that cycle. We keep families together, provide immediate shelter, and support long-term stability.
Real Families, Real Challenges
Imagine becoming a single parent overnight. Your household income is halved and now you're solely responsible for rent, groceries, transportation, and child care. You work full time, but the cost of child care alone rivals your paycheck. One missed payment turns into several. Suddenly, you’re facing eviction — with nowhere to turn that will allow you to stay with your child.
This is not a theoretical situation. It’s the reality for far too many of the families we serve — parents trying to do the best with what they have in a system that doesn’t have enough resources for them.
New Hope Creates Stability
What makes New Hope different is that we don’t force families to choose between safety and staying together. We provide emergency shelter for the entire family and we go beyond temporary housing to offer a path toward lasting change.
A cornerstone of our approach is New Hope Early Learning Center. Our high-quality child care program is available to families in our shelter in addition to our local community. This allows parents to pursue employment, attend training, and save for permanent housing without the crushing burden of finding and affording child care.
In tandem, our case management team works directly with each family in shelter to secure a lease they can afford. We support families through the entire journey from crisis to stability.
You Can Make an Impact
Family homelessness is solvable, but it takes collective action. New Hope relies on the generosity of community members who care deeply about equity, dignity, and opportunity for all. Whether you volunteer your time or make a financial contribution, your support directly helps parents and children remain together, housed, and hopeful.
If you’ve ever wondered how to make a meaningful difference in Bloomington, this is one way. Help ensure that no child has to sleep in a car. Help make sure no parent has to choose between shelter and separation. Help us build a community where every family has a place to call home.
Support the Hope Movement: Help us keep local families together.
Region 10 Point-In-Time Count. (July 2024). Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority. https://www.in.gov/ihcda/indiana-balance-of-state-continuum-of-care/hmis_data_portal/
Homelessness in Indiana. (September 2024). Indiana University Public Policy Institute. https://policyinstitute.iu.edu/doc/homelessness.pdf
Indiana Uplands Regional Housing Study, 2023 Update, Addendum 2.H–Monroe County. (October 2023). Regional Opportunity Initiatives, Inc. https://regionalopportunityinc.org/housing-study-2024/