BLOOMINGTON — Dozens of homeless Bloomingtonians have found refuge in the woods near Switchyard Park, but Monroe County may soon force them out of their living situation while temperatures are below freezing.
Monroe County Commissioners plan to evict campers from county-owned property near Switchyard Park and Rogers Street on Dec. 15. Commissioners cited Monroe County Code 257 for its decision, which states that it is illegal to camp on county-owned property without commissioners' permission.
Stephanie Stephenson has lived at the camp in question for three months. She said she is there because Bloomington's shelters are already full and she has run out of other options.
"Our whole lives are out here," Stephenson said. "I don't have friends I can stay with. I don't have any family. My family has all passed away. This is the only place I have to go."
Monroe County originally wanted to clear the camp on Dec. 8, but pushed the relocation date back a week after citizens criticized the plan during the commissioners' board meeting last week.
"They're humans, too. They're not evil," Bloomington resident Shelbie Porteroff told commissioners. "They're people who are having a really hard time."
According to WRTV's forecast at the time of publishing, the high temperature in Bloomington on the planned eviction date is projected to be 27 degrees.
Stephenson is relieved she still has a place to sleep for now and hopes the county changes their mind for good.
"I feel like they're going to let us stay," Stephenson said. "It's going to be okay as long as we agree to their terms and clean stuff up. Slowly but surely, we'll get it done."
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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.
