BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD) — “The Bridge,” a non-congregate shelter to house the homeless being built, is nearing the final stretch, coming close to being able to fill the homes.
“It’s a building frenzy right now at the bridge. We now have all of the sleeping cabins located on site. They’re all attached to their foundations. All of the exterior painting is done on those sleeping cabins. We’re starting to work on getting the interiors painted,” said Matt Burgess, CEO of Home Sweet Home Ministries.
The project, when completed, will house 48 currently homeless people in the Twin Cities, giving them the resources they need to get back on their feet. It will serve as a halfway house, with occupants staying not longer than around six months.
48 single-person units are on site, giving potential occupants the feeling of normalcy. A bathhouse and clubhouse are also on site, as well as therapists, job search help, home-buying help, and medical services to help with the transition.
The project was on track to finish soon, but the delay of one single part has pushed that finish date back from mid-December to early 2026.
“We’ve got a delay on an important piece of electrical circuitry. It’s called a switch gear, and it won’t actually be delivered until the end of December. Without that piece, we can’t run power to the campus, so we won’t be able to open,” Burgess said.
Next week, Home Sweet Home will start the process of interviews and screenings for potential residents in hopes of getting them moved in by January.
“We’ll be looking to start moving people in in early to mid-January instead of December, because we have to wait for that component to arrive to get installed and then for the city to do their inspection and grant us occupancy. We’re going to fast-track that as much as we can, but we’re really at the mercy of this, this particular part being delivered to finish the project,” he said.
As painting gets finished up in the next few weeks with the help of volunteers, furniture and drywall will begin installation, and extra help will be needed for that as well.
“We can still have people sign up to help us with painting. We have a few more painting days left on our schedule, and then following that, we’re ordering all of the furniture that will go into the sleeping cabins. The beds, the desks, all of that type of stuff. We’re going to ask for volunteers to help assemble that furniture and put that into the sleeping cabins as well,” he said.
More information on volunteering times and opportunities can be found on their website.
WMBD TV can be reached at News@WJBC.com.
