The Connect Transit board has approved the sale of a vacant lot for a planned shelter village in Bloomington.
The shelter village, called The Bridge, is intended to be a low-barrier, non-congregate shelter for the unhoused population in Bloomington-Normal.
The Bridge would consist of 50 tiny sleeping cabins on a fully enclosed campus, with a total occupancy of 60 adults, according to materials previously provided to the McLean County Board. It would have on-site laundry, toilets and bathing facilities.
The approximately 75,000-square-foot site was sold to Home Sweet Home Ministries [HSHM] for $250,000.
The final sale is below asking price. In April 2022, Connect Transit had an appraisal done to determine the value of the land. The appraiser concluded that $5 per square foot seemed reasonable. At $5 per square foot, the value of the site would be $380,000.
Later, a 2023 market study showed a suggested asking price would be about $285,000.
Additional steps
Last week, HSHM was unanimously approved for grant money to partially fund The Bridge.
The $1.3 million grant came from McLean County Behavioral Health Coordination. HSHM will need continuous funding to help run the shelter village once it is built.
The sale from Connect Transit, which will be finalized on June 27, is one of the final pieces needed for HSHM to begin construction.
HSHM has previously said it hopes to have the site ready before winter.
