Our Work.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.