'Underutilized' garage used as homeless shelters

On Saturday, May 4, as many as 30 homeless people fell asleep watching “Fight Club” on a projector screen, provided by homeless advocates, on the cold hard floor of a Bloomington parking garage. The city has been without a low-barrier shelter option since April 15.

“We’ve been having food and projected movies, which adds some comfort to this otherwise very bare space,” said Charis Heisey, 28, an organizer for emergency shelter initiatives.

For the first time in three years, both the winter and summer shelters are closed. As a result, at least 60 individuals have been left without a place to sleep, according to a May 5 press release.

“What I am calling the ‘Dream Garage’ is being held at nighttime as temporary emergency shelter for people experiencing homelessness,” Heisey said.

During a May 3 rainstorm, 15 shelter-seekers and volunteers were looking for a place to keep dry when they first decided to enter the parking garage and sleep.

“We’re using the top covered floor, which puts a roof over
people’s heads that have nowhere else to go. It’s not glamorous, but it’s a safe place to sleep,” Heisey said.

The next night, the number doubled to nearly 30 people and was expected to continue
growing.

The “Dream Garage,” named by the city as “Garage Art,” is managed by Indianapolis based REI, a private company. The garage is located on the southwest corner of Fourth and Walnut streets, and filled an average of 45 percent of its capacity from September to mid-November of 2012, according to the press release.  

“City of Bloomington Parking Garages have been severely underutilized and are losing money,” said Nicole Cadow, 36, who has been helping with the initiative. “We’ve found a way to utilize them that requires very few resources, while minimizing use of police and healthcare resources to support the homeless community.”

Karissa McKelvey, 22, another advocate for the homeless, said in a phone interview Tuesday that initially the inhabitants were told by the police they could stay there at night as long as they were respectful and cleaned up. She also explained that they tried to contact the mayor for approval, but did not receive a response.

Monday, the homeless advocacy group’s lawyer was contacted by the Bloomington Police Department on behalf of the mayor, McKelvey said, to inform them that they were no longer allowed to stay there.  

“They told us they were going to crack down on Monday,” said McKelvey.
Late Monday night, a group of police officers showed up and asked everyone to exit the premises. Five individuals laid down and refused to leave. The police officers arrested them for trespassing.

They were released several hours later.

“These actions are a form of symbolism by the city saying that they will continue to criminalize homelessness instead of treating it,” McKelvey said. “It’s my personal opinion that they are costing the taxpayers more money by having them arrested instead of just establishing a homeless shelter.”

Volunteers have provided food, blankets and movies as well as cleaning up the parking garage each morning.

Organizers have created a Twitter handle @HomelessInBtown asking for more donations and volunteers.