Sponsorship

Housing 23 results
Refugees who resettle in Bloomington rely on a patchwork of social service agencies to overcome a tight housing market, transportation limitations, and language barriers — all while navigating the immigration process and trying to make Bloomington their new home. | Photo by Paul Cooper, CC BY-NC 2.0

Resilience Amid Hardship: Refugees Find Challenges, Opportunities in Bloomington Deep Dive: WFHB & Limestone Post Investigate Refugee Services
Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism
Refugees rely on a patchwork of social service agencies to resettle in Bloomington, but a tight housing market, transportation limitations, and language barriers create hurdles as they settle into their new homes. Three reporters from the Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism prepared this report for our series Deep Dive: WFHB & Limestone Post Investigate. Read the report here.
Read More
Housing advocates and officials are trying various tactics to address the affordable housing problem in Monroe County. Most say that no one solution is enough, with each initiative approaching the problem in a different way. Jolene and Cornelius Wright (above) visit the site of their future home in Osage Place, a neighborhood being developed by Habitat for Humanity. | Photo by Jim Krause

‘No Silver Bullet’: Advocates, Officials Use Many Tactics on Housing Woes Deep Dive: WFHB & Limestone Post Investigate Local Housing Issues, Part 2
Steve Hinnefeld, Jim Krause
In part 2 of our housing series, Steve Hinnefeld reports on how housing advocates and officials are addressing the affordable housing problem in Bloomington and Monroe County. This series is part of “Deep Dive: WFHB & Limestone Post Investigate,” a collaboration between WFHB Community Radio and Limestone Post. Click here for the Steve’s housing report and to learn more about Deep Dive.
Read More

Sponsorship

Bloomington and Monroe County lack sufficient housing, and the reasons are complex, writes Steve Hinnefeld. In his in-depth report on housing, he finds our community struggling with supply, stability, and subsidies, while the deeper housing issues are overlapping and intertwined. | Photo by Jason Vest

Deep Dive: Struggling with Housing Supply, Stability, and Subsidies, Part 1 WFHB and Limestone Post Investigate
Steve Hinnefeld
This article on local housing issues is our first in a series, called “Deep Dive: WFHB & Limestone Post Investigate,” a collaboration between WFHB Community Radio and Limestone Post, made possible by a grant from the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County. This is part 1 of 2 in journalist Steve Hinnefeld’s report on housing. Click here to read the article and learn more about Deep Dive.
Read More
People living in intentional communities engage daily in cooperative living. Laura Lasuertmer, a founding member of Common Home Farm north of Bloomington, asked members of four other intentional communities about how the pandemic changed community life. Pictured above are (l-r) David Watters, Huck Watters, David Lasuertmer, and Alice Lasuertmer at Common Home Farm’s “Outdoor Church” in January. | Photo by Laura Lasuertmer

‘We Were Already in This Together’: Pandemic Times in Intentional Community
Laura Lasuertmer
People living in intentional communities engage daily in cooperative living. How were they affected by the pandemic? How did community life change and adapt? Laura Lasuertmer, a founding member of Common Home Farm in Bloomington, asked members of four other intentional communities how their networks of mutual support weathered the pandemic. | Click here to read Laura’s article.
Read More
In the past 25 years, the housing supply in Bloomington has not kept pace with population growth, and housing prices have gone up while wages have remained flat. Housing expert Deborah Myerson says exclusionary housing policy creates issues related to housing affordability, accessibility, racial inequity, and climate change — as well as invisible neighbors in our community. The photos above depict examples of “missing middle housing,” courtesy of NeighborsUnited.info.

Invisible Neighbors: How To Include People Left Out of B-town’s Neighborhoods
Deborah Myerson
In the past 25 years, housing supply in Bloomington has not kept pace with population growth, and prices have gone up while wages have remained flat. Housing expert Deborah Myerson says exclusionary housing policy creates issues related to housing affordability, accessibility, racial inequity, and climate change — as well as invisible neighbors in our community. Click here to read Deborah’s article.
Read More

Sponsorship

Overcoming Barriers to Mental Health Services in a Pandemic
Eszi Waters
Economic distress, loss, and isolation due to the pandemic have increased the need for mental health services in Monroe County. While local providers have reinvented how they offer such services, many people still confront barriers to accessing them. Eszi Waters spoke to people at several agencies to see how they have adapted. Click here to read the article.
Read More
Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb’s moratorium on residential evictions is set to expire on August 14. Evictions for many renters are expected to resume the next day, writes Diane Walker. While rental assistance is available, demand will likely exceed supply. Walker talked to housing experts who fear a disaster could result if more help isn’t made available. | Limestone Post

Some Renter Help Available As End of Eviction Moratorium Looms
Diane Walker
Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb’s moratorium on residential evictions is set to expire on August 14. Evictions for many renters are expected to resume the next day, writes Diane Walker. While rental assistance is available, demand will likely exceed the supply. Walker talked to housing experts who fear a disaster could result if more help isn’t made available. Click here to read the full story.
Read More
A lone bike rider on the nearly empty streets of Bloomington, Indiana, March 25, 2020. Local officials, organizations, and individuals have developed programs and resources to help people trying to cope during the COVID-19 crisis. | Limestone Post

List of COVID-19 Resources for Bloomington and Monroe County
Limestone Post
Bloomington and Monroe County officials, organizations, and individuals have responded to the COVID-19 crisis by developing programs and resources to help people trying to cope in the pandemic. Limestone Post has compiled this list for people who need help, who want to help, or who just want more information. Click here for the list.
Read More

Sponsorship

Limestone Post Magazine has just become a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. With the need for reliable local news being more important than ever, we are committed to publishing articles that help our readers to make informed decisions about our community. Edited photo of the Monroe County Courthouse in early morning. | Limestone Post

As a New Nonprofit, Limestone Post Will Focus on Community Journalism
Ron Eid
We are proud to announce that Limestone Post Magazine has become a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization! With the need for reliable local news being more important than ever, we are committed to publishing articles that help our readers to make informed decisions about our community. Click here to read what this means for Limestone Post and community journalism.
Read More
A nonprofit called CDFI Friendly Bloomington offers financial support for underserved communities, including projects in the "creative sector." One possibility is to help fund public art in the Trades District, as shown in this rendering prepared for the City of Bloomington by Anderson + Bohlander, LLC. | Courtesy image

Guest Column: CDFI Friendly Bloomington Funds Overlooked Projects
Rachel Glago
Banking rules and regulations often prevent underserved communities from getting financing for needed programs. Without investments, projects to assist in affordable housing, develop small businesses, create community facilities, and support the arts go unrealized. Writer Rachel Glago explains how an innovative financial model, a nonprofit called CDFI Friendly Bloomington, expands opportunities for low-wealth communities. Click here to read more.
Read More
In an ever-growing and -changing city, much of its heritage gets lost, along with the stories that go with it. While barns might have been common throughout what is now the Bloomington city limits, only a few such structures remain, such as this restored barn on what was once the property of the prominent Borland family on Bloomington’s southwest side. | Photo by Paul Bean

The Borland Barn: Preserved Relic of a Bygone Time
Paul Bean
In an ever-growing and -changing city, much of its heritage gets lost, along with the stories that go with it. While barns might have been common throughout what is now the Bloomington city limits, only a few such structures remain. Writer Paul Bean found one such barn and the onetime prominent Bloomington family who built it. Click here to read more.
Read More
Front porches in Bloomington began to flourish in the early 1900s, when bungalows became the most common type of house being built. As writer Harriet Castrataro observes, front porches create a liminal space between two worlds — where the private and public come together. Bloomington’s front porches, both old and new, serve a multitude of purposes. Castrataro uses her front porch, pictured here with her cat Beppo, any time of year. | Photo by Harriet Castrataro

Bloomington’s Front Porches, a (Living) Space Between Two Worlds
Harriet Castrataro
Front porches in Bloomington began to flourish in the early 1900s, when bungalows became the most common type of house being built. As writer Harriet Castrataro observes, front porches create a liminal space between two worlds — where the private and public come together. Bloomington’s front porches, both old and new, serve a multitude of purposes. Click here to read the full story.
Read More

Sponsorship