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Summer shelter alternatives Interfaith Winter Shelter director Samantha Harrell and the supporters of the opening of a summer shelter have said finding a space big enough and willing to house about 60 people every night in their low price range has been challenging. The process of meeting with zoning officials and city planners would likely take months to complete, if successful. Here are some alternatives Harrell and other supporters have explored to house people experiencing homelessness.
GLORY SHEELEY | IDS
Ronnie Deckard and Angela Riley walk downtown together Thursday afternoon. The two have been a couple for 13 months and 11 days, almost inseparable from the moment they wake up to the moment they go to sleep. It can get tiring, Riley says.
Seeking shelter When Bloomington’s only low-barrier overnight shelter closes tonight, its tenants will be left with few options during the summer. BY SARAH ZINN | sjzinn@indiana.edu | @sarah_zinn
Women were first in line. One man slumped against a handrail, head down, not moving. Two others were singing “Hotel California” by the Eagles. One square, white light illuminated the alley, casting shadows across the pavement. Angela Riley got to the line early, like always. She wanted to secure her bed spot. She was waiting with about 40 others at 9 p.m. Friday in the alley behind the First Christian Church for the Interfaith Winter Shelter to open. Fifty is max capacity, the site director said as he closed the door. A man cursed at him, holding rolled up blankets and bags. They’ve been hitting full capacity a lot lately, the site director said. The winter shelter will close today and not open again until October 31st. With no summer shelter to replace it, its 50-some tenants will be sleeping on the streets. * * * Interfaith is the only low-barrier overnight shelter in Bloomington. Other shelters such as Martha’s House, Backstreet Missions and New Hope Family Shelter are open year-round but require residents be sober Monroe County citizens with no history of sexual crimes. The only requirement at Interfaith is respectful behavior. The shelter is open
from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. and moves between four churches each night. First United Church, First Christian Church, First United Methodist Church and Trinity Episcopal Church are the sites for the shelter, but other churches in Bloomington contribute to funding. Samantha Harrell, who directed Interfaith on Sundays, worked every day this winter to find a summer shelter. She hated having to tell people she was “working on it” or that they were “having meetings,” because she didn’t want to sound bureaucratic. At meetings Harrell wore a shy, humble smile. She waited for everyone to voice their opinions and concerns before speaking. But sometimes, while talking one-onone, she got carried away with explanations. Logistics, charitable policies, budgets, zoning laws. Closed doors. Her explanations built on each other in an effort to connect the dots of an issue with so many complexities. But there was one question Harrell couldn’t answer. Why was no one stepping up? “It’s just this crisis that doesn’t feel like a crisis,” she said. “It’s everyone’s responsibility to address homelessness.” She knew she would likely end up passing out blankets and food at night once the shelter closed, like last year. Many residents had become her friends,
and she didn’t want to let them down. Riley, or Stephanie or Buzzsaw, who earned his nickname because he sounds like a buzzsaw when he snores. “Shelter is a right, not a privilege,” she said. The tattoo on her arm says, “Because your liberation is bound up in mine.” * * * Angela Riley tries to straighten her hair every day because she doesn’t like how it frizzes. She’ll plug her straightener into an outlet at the Shalom Community Center lounge and flat iron it without a mirror. She smokes cigarettes because they helped her overcome her meth addiction. She calls her children almost every day. Angela holds these consistencies dear. She writes to-do lists and reminders in her planner, because right now her hobby is trying to better her life. At 29, she’s experienced homelessness off and on for four years. “I don’t want to be homeless in 30 years,” Angela said. “The longer you’re homeless, the less you’re encouraged to do something about it.” Keeping focused on her goals — getting a job, applying for rapid rehousing,
Largest collegiate debate tournament ends at IU BY GRACE PALMIERI gpalmier@indiana.edu @Grace_Palmieri
When it comes to the largest collegiate debate tournament in the country, practice and preparation is neverending. Over three days of eight debate rounds, each lasting two hours and 45 minutes, George Lee and Rashid Campbell spent even their down time getting ready for the next opponent. “Lil Wayne has a quote: He says ‘repetition is the key to perfection,’” Lee said. “I go to the case list and see which arguments you’ve had in the past and try to guess how you’re going to come at me.” Lee and Campbell, from Oklahoma, were joined by 79 other college debate teams from across the country at IU this past weekend for the 68th National Debate Tournament. Lee said this isn’t just another debate tournament. “It’s kind of like March Madness basketball,” he said. “You have to qualify for it. You have to be invited. The NDT is literally the best debaters the country has to offer, so the competition is fierce.” Debaters arrived on campus Thursday morning, competition began Friday and concluded
MICHAELA SIMONE| IDS
Michigan debate member Ellis Allen is questioned by Georgetown debate members Andrew Arsht and Andrew Markoff during the final round of the National Debate Tournament Monday at the Indiana Memorial Union. The tournament was from March 27 to 31. Eighty teams competed in the event this year.
Monday night. This is IU’s first time is host to the tournament. It was host last week to the Cross Examination Debate Association tournament. Debate teams spent all year with the issue of having congressional or judicial restrictions on presidential war powers. Lee said a strategy is to scout out the other teams’ previous arguments. “If the individual is talking
about the economy, I’m going to read a whole article about capitalism and socialism,” he said. “Or if it’s a question of race, I have to read a whole bunch of African-American literature to be able to engage with that particular debater.” Sophomore Linda Pei, from Northwestern, said to get to this point takes a lot of time committed throughout the year, including SEE DEBATE, PAGE 3
SEE INTERFAITH, PAGE 6
City-owned buildings Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan has clearly said he does not support the summer shelter and believes the homeless population in Bloomington is mostly a migrated one. “Police and social service providers are seeing more people coming to town, often saying they've done so based on word of mouth that there are many services available here,” he said in an email. “ Service providers are already struggling to meet local need, so it's unsustainable to have more people coming here solely for services. Harrell said Kruzan’s lack of support has made it hard to pursue options under the city’s jurisdiction, such as vacant lots, empty city-owned buildings, and parks and recreation properties that have potential to serve as a temporary shelter. Harrell and others have also pursued the County Council but were referred back to the city. Public camping Many people experiencing homelessness last year resorted to public camping. However, public camping is illegal in the City of Bloomington, and was tolerated in previous years because it was considered a form of protest, or was on private property. New construction during the past decade has wiped out many hidden camping locations, such as parts of what is now the B-Line Trail. Places of worship Harrell said many churches support their mission to find a summer shelter, but none are willing to offer their own spaces. Churches that are host to Interfaith from November through March cite volunteer burnout as a reason to deny the shelter request. Other institutions said they had inadequate space or unsupportive congregations.
Library renovations slated to begin soon BY KATE STARR kastarr@indiana.edu
Phase one of the Monroe County Public Library renovations, which were approved in February by the library’s Board of Trustees, is scheduled to begin this month and continue through September. The finalized construction schedule hasn’t been approved yet, but MCPL Director Sara Laughlin said they hope the contractor and preconstruction meetings will take place soon and that construction will begin mid-April. “We’ll be preparing some spaces that are currently vacant for new community outreach offices and a new meeting room,” Laughlin said. “We’ll be moving people into those spaces so we can get to the second phase.” The MCPL Board of Trustees has approved $975,500 for contractor funds and roughly $450,000 for the library’s direct expenses, Laughlin said. The second phase will not begin until January 2015, according to a Board of Trustees agenda packet. In the meantime, the library will tackle a number of projects, including creating new spaces for a bookstore and a children’s program room. However, Laughlin is most excited for the renovation of the library’s auditorium, she said. “It’s a really important community resource and downtown resource,”
SALE SUPPORTS COUNTY LIBRARY An annual clearance event brings in cash for the public library, page 5
she said. “It’s really the functionality of the space that we hope will be dramatically improved.” The MCPL currently uses the auditorium for some of its own programming such as children’s programs and movie productions, but it can also be reserved for nonprofit organizations. Laughlin pointed out, though, that the auditorium uses technology that is up to 20 years old. While some aesthetic aspects of the auditorium will be improved, such as trim and floors, Laughlin said the improved sound and lighting systems will be most beneficial to the library and the community. Ultimately, though, the purpose of phase one is to make room for the phase two initiatives. The space on the first floor dedicated to movies and music, as well as the current Community Outreach offices and bookstore, will become a teen center and digital creativity lab. The MCPL is following anthropologist Mizuko Ito’s research that suggests teenagers use technology for hanging out, messing around and geeking out, Laughlin said. SEE LIBRARY, PAGE 6