BLOOMINGTON — Monroe County hoped to remove a homeless community between Switchyard Park and RCA Community Park before Christmas. Instead, the tents will remain for the foreseeable future.
Monroe County commissioners canceled the planned Dec. 15 eviction of the camp behind a Duke Energy substation on South Rogers Street, also known as the Thomson site. Campers will be allowed to stay indefinitely.
The county had planned to clear the site, which is on county-owned land, on Dec. 8 before community opposition led to a one-week delay.
An estimated 30 people live at the Thomson site, although some did leave on their own when the temperatures dropped below freezing this weekend.
A man simply known as Fish still lives in a tent on the Thomson site. He told WRTV the site and its community helps him stay safe on the streets of Bloomington.
"This is home for now," Fish told WRTV. "I watch out for my neighbors as they watch out for me. We're a small village, I guess."
While commissioners and law enforcement will let the pop-up village remain, some are still concerned about how they will get through the winter.
"Thomson is not a solution for anybody," Monroe County Board of Commissioners President Julie Thomas said during a county-hosted conversation about the site on Thursday. "It's short-term, but it's what it is now. We understand it, and we get it. If people want to stay there, we really hope for the best, but we fear the worst."
Fish said he is staying warm with blankets, a propane heater and firewood. He said he is grateful the county is allowing them to remain in place for now.
"It's nice that people remember that hey, there are those people that are out there," Fish said. "I don't want to stay here forever."
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Taj Simmons the In Your Community reporter for Monroe and Morgan counties. He joined WRTV in August of 2023. The Oakland, CA native is not a Hoosier by birth, but is excited to learn all about the area and tell the stories of the people who make this state feel like home. Share your story ideas and important issues with Taj by emailing him at taj.simmons@wrtv.com.
