The Problem is the Policy, Not the People

Tension around the impact of homelessness in the city where I live has been growing. This is not unique to Bloomington, Indiana. It’s common across the country. The question of what to do about it divides well-meaning people.

I realized recently that I have opinions about people experiencing homelessness based on no real knowledge of the issue. I certainly have no informed answers on what can be done either for communities or for the individuals who find themselves in the terrible position of extreme poverty leading to homelessness.

So I invited the Reverend Forrest Gilmore to help me understand the causes and complexities surrounding it. Rev. Forrest Gilmore is the executive director of Beacon Inc. in Bloomington, Indiana, an organization that “aids and empowers those experiencing need with a full range of support services to reduce hunger, poverty, and homelessness in the communities we serve.”

We discuss how the current situation traces directly to decisions made in the 1960s and 1980s that dismantled mental health infrastructure and replaced it with nothing. We talk about what long-term solutions might look like and why real change requires extraordinary persistence over time.

The conversation was illuminating and inspiring in ways that surprised and moved me. Forrest is a remarkable human being, and I feel fortunate to have spent an hour learning from him.

The issue is a hard one, but the conversation was inspiring. I am so pleased to share it here.

To learn more about Beacon and how you can help visit their website: Beaconinc.org