Squat city

Homelessness in Bloomington continues to be a serious problem.  
After winter break, an IU student discovered a member of Bloomington’s homeless population had been living in her home.

This person, likely having no place to go and facing the extreme cold temperatures of the winter vortex, found shelter in one of the city’s many houses that sit alone while we enjoyed the holiday with our families in warm homes.

This break-in isn’t the first, and it likely won’t be the last of its kind. Still, the break-in to the student’s residence is a situation none of us would want to deal with, and likely a scary one at that.

The incident is another symptom in chronic illness that is homelessness in Bloomington.

Many of us have become desensitized to those most in need. Walking down Kirkwood Avenue and seeing panhandlers asking for money can be an eye-sore for the picture-perfect college town that is our city.

But these are real people. It’s a reality. And it’s one few have addressed, and even fewer know how to potentially solve.

The city is home to several shelters and a significant volunteer base. Yet we find these resources are sometimes not helping those who need them the most.

To be allowed to stay in some of these shelters, those seeking refuge must have no prior convictions nor a history of alcohol or drug abuse.Unfortunately, due to the nature of living and surviving in the streets, many do have a history of run ins with the law. Many also suffer from substance abuse problems.

With these barriers in place, it’s no wonder some members of the homeless population resort to squatting during the winter months in unoccupied housing
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The Editorial Board highly recommends these restrictions be revisited.

More importantly, Indiana — in conjunction with Bloomington — needs to provide more accessible assistance to the homeless.

This means not just providing them a place to avoid the cold for a night, but also offering help with addiction and mental illness.
 
We encourage service-oriented and philanthropic organizations on our campus to look at homelessness in our city as a major issue in need of their immediate assistance.
If we want to help others, starting in our own backyard would be a great start.
 
So far — despite discussing this issue year after year — the problem continues and likely won’t going away any time soon. It is dangerous to allow the issue to fester.

In the instance reported, squatting hurt no one.

Let’s not wait until it does.

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