Edith Brady-Lunny
The Pantagraph
Several of the 14 homeless residents forced to move from a camp on Bloomington's west side may move into apartments soon, largely funded by donations collected in the last two weeks since news coverage of the encampment began.
The owner of the winter encampment of homeless men and women insisted last week the people clear off his almost 6-acre lot on West Market Street. Citing liability concerns, Carl Thomas said the people must move. Police and workers from PATH (Providing Access to Help) told the homeless group Friday they had until Monday to relocate.
McLean County Sheriff Jon Sandage said the last person in the group was packing up Monday morning and preparing to leave.
Work to find apartments for several of the men was put on a fast track Monday, said PATH's Lori Kimbrough.
"Some are on the verge of being able to get an apartment. We are doing what we can to speed up that process," she said. Money from the agency's rental assistance fund, coupled with donations that continue to come into PATH, are being used to cover rent deposits and other expenses, she said.
Kimbrough said donations and offers to help have been steady since recent stories in The Pantagraph about the camp. In her conversations with the encampment residents, Kimbrough learned most were not aware of the rental assistance program.
People who still want to help can contact the agency at www.pathcrisis.org or call 309-828-1022 or 309-828-1022.
Workers with PATH's outreach program for the homeless also are trying to help the others living outdoors, but some have barriers that are tough to overcome.
Four of the men are registered sex offenders, leaving them with very limited housing options, and others have a history of violence or poor credit records.
"Some people have larger hurdles," said Kimbrough.
The Salvation Army in Bloomington reported Monday that one person came to the shelter from the camp late last week before the relocation order was issued.