Wheeler Mission shelter on Westplex Avenue in Bloomington is looking to expand its services by constructing a new building on a parcel of land it acquired back in May.
That piece of land has to be rezoned from mixed-use employment (ME) to mixed-used medium scale (MM), which means the plan commission had to publicly address the issue at its Aug. 9 meeting.
During that meeting, several local business owners spoke out against the expansion.
"Ever since Wheeler Mission has moved in, we’ve had a lot of issues," Mary Sutherland said.
Sutherland has worked and owned property in the area since the late 90s. She said in recent years she has incurred high costs to replace electrical boxes and water meters, as well as having to install extra flood lights and security cameras to prevent trespassing, vandalism and loitering.
"You've [the city] depreciated our property values because you cleaned up the city, and you've put the problem at our back door," Sutherland said.
Within the last few years, people experiencing homelessness near downtown have been displaced from areas like Peoples Park and Seminary Park, and have formed new encampments in various places.
Baugh Fine Printing is located right down the street from Wheeler Mission. Owner Kim Ellis said there have been many incidents of property damage and littering.
"I feel like we have been overrun in the last five to six months," Ellis said.
Ellis later went into detail about what she and her employees witness daily.
"When I get to work, I look and there's sometimes feces by my mailbox, several drink bottles full of urine strewed all over, clothing, bags of trash. We have to start our workday cleaning up."
Both Ellis and Sutherland said they have reached out to Wheeler on multiple occasions to help curtail that kind of activity.
"I recognize some of the struggles and trials that some of our local owners are discussing. We help as much as we possibly can," director Dana Jones said.
But Jones said it is impossible for Wheeler to police the entire block with what little staff is on hand. He said there are only 10 people working there altogether.
He also added that people hanging around outside the shelter are likely not part of Wheeler's programs, but friends of those people. Jones said Wheeler services almost 900 people annually.
"I think this is healthy to have a public forum to discuss those issues because I think this isn’t a Wheeler problem, it’s a community problem," Jones said.
The organization plans to move 130 shelter beds into the new facility with this project, while using the existing building as more space for program services. The project will not increase bed capacity.
Jones said a possible solution could be building a fence around Wheeler's property.
Plan commissioners approved the rezone 8 to 1 with the proposal now moving onto the city council sometime in the next few months.
"If the community turns against these organizations because of the problems that they have to face and the costs they have to incur, then we are not focusing on what it takes to live cooperatively and respectfully in this community," councilmember Susan Sandberg said.
Sandberg said more discussions by the city council should help strengthen the relationships between shelters and businesses, and that will be a major sticking point with this proposal moving forward.
