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Housing 20 results
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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The Bloomington Cohousing Project is planning a collaborative housing community on the south side of Bloomington, where homeowners will live in individual houses but share other common amenities. Writer Michael Glab talks to co-founder Marion Sinclair and builder Loren Wood in his latest Big Mike's B-town. This early rendering shows individual homes designed to foster community, with shared green space, gardens, buildings, and other features. | Courtesy image

Big Mike’s B-town: Cohousing Project with Marion Sinclair and Loren Wood
Michael G. Glab
The term “building community” is rarely taken literally, but a fledgling project in town is doing just that. The Bloomington Cohousing Project is planning a collaborative housing community on the south side of Bloomington, where homeowners will live in individual houses but share other common amenities. Writer Michael Glab talks to co-founder Marion Sinclair and builder Loren Wood in his latest Big Mike's B-town. Click here to read the full story.
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Artist Edwin Fulwider wrote a memoir about growing up in Bloomington in the early 1900s. Written in the 1980s, the memoir portrays a “rich landscape of local art, life, and history” of a bygone era, writes Michelle Gottschlich. This photo, from the early 1900s, is looking north on College Avenue from Kirkwood on the downtown Square (notice that Graham Plaza hadn't been built yet). | Photo courtesy of the IU Archives

Edwin Fulwider’s Early-1900s Boyhood in Bloomington, ‘A Memoir’
Michelle Gottschlich
More than thirty years ago, artist Edwin Fulwider wrote a memoir about growing up in Bloomington in the early 1900s. The memoir portrays a “rich landscape of local art, life, and history” of a bygone era, writes Michelle Gottschlich. Fulwider’s perspective is especially insightful because he grew up in several different neighborhoods. Click here to read the full story.
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Ann Barlow stands on the porch of her house in Needmore, an intentional community in Brown County, in May 2017. Known in the 1960s and ’70s as communes, places like May Creek and Needmore have had to “bend with the times” to survive, says writer John Mikulenka. And now, as the founding members continue to age, their biggest concern might be finding and keeping the next generation of community members. | Courtesy photo

Intentional Communities Must ‘Bend with the Times’
John Mikulenka
Southern Indiana has a long tradition of utopian communities, also known as communes. A few of the ones formed in the 1960s and ’70s — places like May Creek Farm and Needmore — have had to “bend with the times” to survive, says writer John Mikulenka in this detailed and expansive feature. But as the founding members age, he asks, who will take their place? Click here to read the full story.
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