The Crawford Apartments in Bloomington have failed another city inspection.
Crawford was designed to provide continuing housing and social services to individuals experiencing chronic homelessness, but only about half of its 61 units are occupied.
During inspections last month, the city found multiple safety issues, including pest infestations, non-functional smoke detectors, and unsafe power outlets.
A Feb. 9 re-inspection found the same issues. The vacant units in the complex will not be issued occupancy permits until the code violations are fixed.
Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson said the continued violations are due to a lack of adequate supportive services, which are provided by local nonprofit Beacon.
“If your mental health care is not up to par, we get into a situation where people are pulling down smoke detectors because they think somebody is in the smoke detector,” Thomson said.
Beacon executive director Forrest Gilmore said keeping the Crawford building up to code is the responsibility of property management.
“We're a supportive service provider that supports people and supports them in being successful,” Gilmore said. “But we're not the one that fixes broken plugs or a broken smoke detector or pays the utility bills. Those are all things that that are the responsibility of property management.”
Thomson and Gilmore both said that the owners of Crawford have invested large amounts of money in bringing the building back up to code.
The city has a pending lawsuit for breach of contract against Cinnaire Solutions, which is Crawford’s property owner, Continental Management, which is Crawford’s property manager, and Beacon. Thomson said while the lawsuit seeks to recover $685,000 in federal funds, she hopes it doesn’t come to that.
“That's not what we want to happen,” Thomson said. “We need this permanent supportive housing. We want Crawford to succeed, and we know it can.”
Gilmore said Beacon has been informed by its legal counsel that there’s very little legal risk to Beacon, as it doesn’t own the building or contract directly with the city on the Crawford project.
“We just want to get back to focusing fully on the work, and get this past us,” said Gilmore. “I think we're doing really outstanding work and I hope in time, that people actually recognize that.”
