New bilingual resource directory released

As the national economy suffers, community members on the local level struggle to provide for their families. This is just one of the many reasons the Community and Family Resources Department released their bilingual Community and Family Resources Directory, updated for 2009.

“The demand for the directory isn’t a lot higher compared to the last year we put it out,” said Pete Giordano, Community and Family Resources Department director. “But I think we’ve seen a bit of an increase due to the economy.”

The previous directory debuted with success in the 2003-04 year, Giordano said. The directory lists resources available to the Bloomington community in English and Spanish, such as restaurants, businesses, schools, churches and social services.

The department employees said they are proud of their work because part of their mission is to provide resources and make them more readily available.

“We want to build quality of life,” Giordano said, adding that the demand to provide keeps growing. “This directory is a mechanism to provide these resources.”

The department wanted to update the directory in the past but didn’t have the resources. Community members wanted the directory because it offers more than a phone book, and they don’t have to get online to look at it.

“We try to make (it easier) for the large percentage of the population who don’t use the Internet,” Giordano said. “They can use this and keep it in their homes.”

The growing Spanish-speaking population in Bloomington makes this directory all the more essential. The department does not have solid numbers on the Hispanic population in Bloomington; it uses the most current census for its figures. Although the department employees said they are confident with the statistics, it is also difficult to count because community members might be distrustful of organizations trying to lump them into categories.

“If you look at the numbers from the last census count, though, the movement of the Spanish-speaking population through Indiana has grown,” said Melissa Britton, the Community and Family Resources Department’s Latino outreach coordinator.

The directory also lets patrons know which agencies offer Spanish-speaking resources. Agencies must be in the business of serving the Bloomington community to be in the directory.

The guide is a tool not only for the Bloomington community but also for the businesses that serve it.

“We get feedback from agencies requesting more,” Britton said. “It’s an easy tool for them to give to citizens with questions.”

The Community and Family Resources Department acquired positive responses from the community and businesses and hopes the directory keeps helping the community.

“This directory fills a void,” said Sue Owens, the department’s program specialist. “It brings all resources into one contained piece.”