PEORIA, Ill. – A new city ordinance approved by Peoria City Council members back in November will not be enforced until after the holidays.
City Director of Community Development Joe Dulin says an outdoor camping ban that was set to go into effect this week, 30 days after approval, will be delayed until the beginning of 2025.
“Technically by the 30 day standard, we should have started enforcing sometime this week, but due to the holidays, and to give our social service providers a bit of additional time to continue to find housing, we won’t really start enforcing that ordinance until after the first of the year,” Dulin says.
Those currently living outdoors in Peoria are mostly along the I-74 corridor downtown, Dulin adds.
“We’re dealing with about 30 individuals that are camping there. The Continuous Care and Phoenix Community Development Services have been able to identify housing for about half of those already…so we’re down to about 14 or 15 people in the next two or three weeks that they’re still trying to find housing for,” Dulin says.
Phoenix Community Development Services, LULA Peoria and JOLT have been providing clothing, meals, heaters and other services at the encampments, but with temperatures falling below freezing, there is a real push now to get the unhoused into shelters.
Dulin says under the ordinance, campers would first get a warning, then fines for each violation. Multiple offenses could lead to 90 days in jail.
“When the City of Peoria goes out to do an enforcement action, we post a notice essentially saying we’ll be back in 48 hours, you’re not allowed to camp here, so you need to move along,” Dulin says.
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