Our Work.


 

Beacon is a solutions-driven, antipoverty organization, dedicated to aiding and empowering people experiencing extreme poverty, especially hunger and homelessness. Based in Bloomington, Indiana, Beacon works out of three main locations, employs over thirty staff, and operates 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Beacon has six major programs which together help people in poverty not only survive but thrive: Shalom Center, Phil’s Kitchen, Friends Place, Street Outreach, Rapid Re-housing, and Crawford Homes.

 

Shalom Center

The Shalom Center is Beacon’s day shelter and our main location, where Phil’s Kitchen, Rapid Re-housing, and Street Outreach all work from.

Shalom strives to be all-inclusive, creating as few barriers as possible between the guest and our services.

Open Monday through Friday from 8am to 4pm, Shalom provides life essentials to help people stabilize in times of need, including:

  • Day Shelter, Daytime Sleep Room
  • Restrooms, Showers, Laundry
  • Day and long-term storage
  • Telephones, Mailing Address
  • Copying, Faxing, Postage
  • Bus tickets
  • Prescription Assistance
  • Health Insurance Assistance
  • Rent, Utility Assistance
  • Birth Certificates, ID Assistance
  • Clothing, Shoes
  • Sleeping Bags, Backpacks
  • Toiletries, Feminine Hygiene Products
  • Diapers, Wipes, Baby Supplies, and More…

Shalom also offers drop-in casework for those struggling with crises and in need of assistance, available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Shalom’s crisis casework program provides information, referral, and support navigating government and nonprofit services. Financial assistance for birth certificates, IDs, rent, utilities, prescriptions, health insurance, and transportation is also available.

 

Phil’s Kitchen

Located in the Shalom Center, Phil’s Kitchen provides breakfast from 8 a.m. – 9 a.m. and lunch from 12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. On holidays, the Kitchen is open from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. and serves one meal, usually at 8 a.m. We also provide emergency groceries once per month per household.

 

friend’s place/overnight shelter

Beacon provides overnight shelter through its program Friend’s Place to people experiencing homelessness. Friend’s Place is the only year-round, nonreligious, emergency shelter for adults (age 18+) in our region. We provide 40 safe and sober beds, with at least 20 of these beds reserved for women.

Currently located at 919 S. Rogers St. in Bloomington, the shelter opens daily at 5:15 p.m. To access an available bed, guests should arrive at Friend’s Place at that time.

Guests must not be under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs, and Monroe County residents are given priority.

 

street outreach

In our efforts to reach people with the greatest vulnerabilities, our street outreach caseworkers walk the streets of Bloomington to engage and provide support for people experiencing street homelessness. Beacon’s street outreach program helps people access housing, health care, recovery work, and employment opportunities.

 

rapid re-housing

Beacon’s Rapid Re-housing program helps people experiencing homelessness move into homes as quickly as possible.  

Providing a combination of short-term financial assistance for items such as security deposits, rent, utilities, moving expenses, application fees, etc. alongside supportive case management, our rapid re-housing program works to move people out of the shelters and off the streets into new homes where they are more likely to succeed and thrive. The program helps nearly 200 adults and children move into housing every year.

To be eligible, one must be homeless, living in a shelter, on the streets, or in a place not meant for human habitation and be assessed for the program at the Shalom Center between 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.

 

crawford homes/housing first

Beacon’s Crawford Homes program provides housing and supportive services for individuals, couples, and families experiencing long-term homelessness due to a disability. 

Providing 110 permanent homes to nearly 150 adults and children, Crawford Homes I & II are part of a national campaign to eliminate homelessness for those who suffer with the greatest needs and struggles. In the first year for Crawford I, the program ended 300 years of collective homelessness.  Individuals in the program saw a 65% drop in emergency room use, and an 88% drop in incarceration rates. Crawford 2 opened in December of 2017 and Crawford 3 opened in January 2020.

For eligibility, please see a caseworker at the Shalom Center between 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.


Watch our video, “For All Who Seek Home,” featuring the guests and residents of Beacon.
 

The Homeless Management Information System

 

Beacon participates in the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). HMIS is a case management system for tracking the information and needs of clients that meet the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) definition of homelessness. Using HMIS helps our community develop programs to target the needs of people without homes most effectively and improves our chances to obtain financial resources to benefit our guests. While client participation is highly valuable, no guest of the Center will be denied services based on their decision whether to participate in HMIS or not.

Attached is the Notice of Privacy Practices and the Statement of Privacy Practices.

HMIS Notice of Privacy Practices

HMIS Statement of Privacy Practices