On December 10, the Housing and Redevelopment Authority voted unanimously to distribute $175,000 in remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds—federal money allocated during the COVID-19 pandemic—to combat homelessness in Bloomington. The three selected organizations are Oasis for Youth, Home Line, and Touchstone Mental Health Services. Two will receive their full funding requests, while one will receive 85% of what it requested.

The deadline to commit these funds is the end of 2024, with all money needing to be spent by June 2025. This represents the final portion of a larger $500,000 allocation the city received. Staff said they selected the organizations through a formal request-for-proposal process that drew three applications.

Commissioner Mueller pressed staff on the vetting process before voting, citing recent high-profile fraud cases involving nonprofits. "Can you share a little bit about how we review RFP and what we did to vet the organizations to ensure the funds will be used properly?" Mueller asked. Staff responded that the city has "pretty robust" monitoring systems in place and emphasized that the selected providers have established reputations. They also noted that the city works with the attorney's office to ensure compliance with contracting laws.

The unanimous approval—with Commissioner Musa making the motion and Commissioner Mueller seconding it—signals the board's confidence in both the organizations and the city's oversight mechanisms. The decision moves forward efforts to address homelessness in Bloomington through prevention and response services.