The Crawford Apartments, a complex geared toward housing some of Bloomington’s most vulnerable residents, could lose its rental permit.
The city of Bloomington on Tuesday issued a notice of default to the complex, owned by Crawford Apartments LP. City spokesperson Desiree DeMolina said no residents have been asked to leave. But about 36 percent of Crawford’s 61 units are uninhabitable because of damage.
Crawford’s owners have until August 1 to get its units up to city standards, according to the notice. If that doesn’t happen, the Crawford Apartments could have to pay fines to Bloomington and repay loans from city that supported the project.
The apartments are governed by a 2012 Partnership Agreement and a 2016 Covenant for Deed Restrictions.
Getting the apartments in compliance with rental property requirements has been an ongoing issue. The city said after “more than a year of engagement” it issued a warning earlier this month to the Crawford Apartments over safety concerns.
Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson said in the city statement that the apartments — geared toward people who experienced chronic homelessness, who have a disability, or substance use disorder — are supposed to be a place of recovery.
“We understand that many in our community have come to see Crawford as a symbol of what isn’t working,” Thomson said. “…For over a year, the city has worked to support remediation, but we have reached a critical and pivotal moment.”
Beacon Inc provides on-site services for Crawford’s residents. The service provider for people experiencing homelessness led the opening of the apartments. The first building opened in 2013 and the second in 2017.
Forrest Gilmore, Beacon Inc’s executive director, said Beacon was part of the city’s conversations with Crawford’s management, and knew the notice was coming.
He said Beacon is also concerned about conditions at Crawford. But because of the challenges it helps address for its residents and for the community, he disagrees with the mayor’s characterization of Crawford.
“I also see a lot of what other people don't see, the lives changed and the lives saved by the facility,” Gilmore said. “The people who live there have very severe challenges, which makes it hard sometimes to serve them in a way that fits everyone's standards.”
He said Beacon is helping clean units in Crawford ahead of upcoming inspections. But a large part of getting the apartments up to code falls on the building’s owners.
He said Beacon wants conditions at Crawford to improve and has been concerned about the facility for some time.
“We hope and believe that this process that the city is creating will actually force the changes that need to be made into existence,” he said.
Beacon runs a program called Crawford Homes, which places people experiencing homelessness in the Crawford Apartments on Henderson Street, and in various other apartments in Bloomington. The Crawford Apartments are focused on people with disabilities and substance use disorders.
Watch more: Crawford Apartments' housing first approach leads to drop in arrest rates
Gilmore said if the Crawford Apartments close, people would end up back on the streets.
“Because of the lifesaving nature of this program, we need to do all we can to save it,” Gilmore said.
The Crawford name comes from Franklin “Road Dog” Crawford, a chronically homeless man with addictions and mental health problems who died alone in 2011 in Bloomington behind the location of what’s now the post office on South Walnut Street.
WFIU/WTIU News has reached out to Crawford’s ownership for comment.
