Bloomington OKs $323K in social services funding to nonprofits, including Planned Parenthood

On Wednesday night, Bloomington’s city council approved the allocation of $323,000 in social services grants to 32 different agency programs.

Those were the recommended allocations made by the seven-member Jack Hopkins committee  after reviewing about $965,000 in grant requests from about 45 different agency programs.

Last year the total amount requested was $557,000.

The top five awards this year were to Hoosier Hills Food Bank ($27,341), New Hope Family Shelter ($21,711), Community Justice and Mediation Center ($21,283), Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard ($17,555), and Monroe County CASA, Inc. ($17,517). Included below is a table with all the awards, with a description of the projects to be funded.

From the public mic came criticism of awards to Planned Parenthood and All-Options Pregnancy Resource Center, based on their provision abortion services or referral to such services. The grant awards to those agencies this year, as in past years, involve projects that are not abortion services.

On the council’s side, speaking in defense of the awards were councilmembers Jim Sims and Susan Sandberg.

Sims said, “What we provide is, in my mind, true equity services.” Sims continued, “There are many people that need and require the services—education, mammograms, pap smears, contraceptives, family planning, diapers for children, potty training…”

At more than one public meeting so far this year, Sims has called for at least a doubling of the Jack Hopkins social services funding for next year’s budget. On Wednesday, Sims put it like this: “What we have available is just simply not enough. I’m not advocating to go all the way to the $900,000 plus, that was originally requested.”

Sims continued, “But I think to start the conversation and say we want to double the funds—whether I’m supported or not, whether this council supports it, and whether the administration supports it or not.”

Sims added, “If we’re serious about equity, there are many different forms of equity. Bloomington is a town of haves and have nots. And I think the sooner that we understand that, and what we can do to help those that need, the better.”

Sims serves on the Jack Hopkins committee along with three other councilmembers (Ron Smith, Susan Sandberg, and Kate Rosenbarger) and three Bloomington residents (Jami Scholl, Mark Fraley and Tim Mayer).

For her part, Sandberg said, “This committee felt that it’s especially important to fund the efforts of All options and Planned Parenthood, based on the projects that they brought forward, which in one case was in support of families who are struggling to provide for their children.”

Sandberg continued, describing the Planned Parenthood project as providing “active birth control methods to prevent the need for an abortion which no one sees as a positive outcome for any woman who is faced with those difficult decisions.”

Sandberg said she respects Carole Canfield, who spoke from the public mic in opposition to the award of funds to Planned Parenthood and All Options.

About Canfield, Sandberg said, “She and I share many things in common—both politically and we share a love of music.” Sandberg continued, saying, “But on this particular issue, I know we will continue to agree to disagree with respect to a woman’s right to make the choices she and her family and her doctor need to make about their reproductive futures.”

In her turn from the public mic, Canfield said, “Be advised, God will not be mocked, especially concerning those made in His image.” She asked, “Is Bloomington equitable and inclusive only to those who can speak for themselves? Why don’t the unborn count?”

Canfield said that if the unborn don’t count then “We’re no better than the Nazis who considered Jews subhuman.”

Responding to Canfield from the public mic was Sydney Zulich, who said, “Frankly, as a Jewish woman… it’s very, very insulting to see people compare abortion clinics to Nazis.” Zulich said that most sects of Judaism believe that life starts at breath. Zulich thanked the city council for their support of the allocations to Planned Parenthood and All Options.

The Jack Hopkins program is named after the former city councilmember and professor at Indiana University’s public and environmental affairs, who wrote down the basic criteria for grant funding in a 1993 letter.

The resolution that named the fund after Hopkins was approved by the city council in 2002, the month after Hopkins died.