PEORIA, Ill. (25 News) – Winter is on its way, and there’s no motel project to mitigate the effects of Peoria’s public camping ban.
Last winter, LULA Peoria helped the homeless community stay out of the cold by hosting them in a Peoria motel. They received financial support from the city for the effort. But now, American Rescue Plan Acts funds the city used to address the homelessness problem are gone.
LULA co-founder Kshe Bernard tells 25 News there’s no winter plan for people experiencing chronic homelessness, and the city’s public camping ban is being enforced.
At one point, the people LULA works with moved four camps in seven days.
“Typically around this time is when we look to start winterizing tents, but if our people have to break down and move around all the time, we can’t even winterize the tents. So with the ordinance in place, it’s going to make this winter especially dangerous for our folks who are sleeping unsheltered outside,” Bernard said.
LULA is calling for a more permanent transitional shelter for these individuals.
Bernard said most of them are on shelter waiting lists, but it can be hard to find them when a space opens up, because they’re constantly moving from place to place to avoid getting arrested or ticketed.
For those lucky enough to be in shelters, staff is preparing for winter by getting finances in order.
On Thursday, the Dream Center held its annual event called ‘Surrounded,’ where they share stories of their work with community members who are able to financially support them.
Since June, the Dream Center has been working towards building a tiny home shelter for Peoria.
“We’re just looking for that location working with the city, and seeing if it works with all the other programs that we do. We’re not just wanting to do tiny homes. There’s a whole comprehensive plan for homelessness that we really want to bring to the city,” Executive Director Andy King said.
In September, The Salvation Army broke ground on a new men’s shelter that is expected to be completed by December 2026.
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