By: Diane Benjamin
Read this story: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2025-02-25/home-sweet-home-proposes-50-cabin-village-to-serve-homeless-near-downtown-bloomington
Home Sweet Home wants to build tiny houses south of downtown on land Connect Transit owns and abandoned 15 years ago and now leased to the City of Bloomington. Why wasn’t the Transfer station built there?
Here Is a faster idea for downtown housing:
Tow all of Connect Transit’s abandoned electric buses to that property. Since Connect is buying 12 new buses that aren’t electric – they have no hope of ever getting the electrics to run. https://blnnews.com/2024/12/12/status-of-electric-buses-foia-insights/
Divide each bus in half and turn them into 2 family sleeping quarters. In December 11 of them weren’t on the road, that means at lease 22 people could have instant housing: https://blnnews.com/2024/12/12/status-of-electric-buses-foia-insights/
They are waterproof (probably). The come with windows and seats, so of which can be removed for beds.
Mini-spits could be installed for heat and air-conditioning. The total cost would be a lot less since taxpayers already bought the buses.
Connect Transit already owns the property and the buses. I haven’t heard a better plan for the huge buses. Of course they might be a fire hazard.
Of course this will never happen. Those electric buses will just disappear into oblivion. Since taxpayers already threw away $12 million+, somebody needs to use them for something.
Great Idea! I love using something that we have already over-paid for…but instead of re-purposing the electric busses, I bet the taxpayers will get to waste a bunch more money on something new.
Plug the buses into a solar panel, you have power, and a shared toilet. Just add water.
This is a great idea! 👏
Speaking of those electric buses, there’s been 1 or 2 (at different times) parked on the edge of Carlock over these past couple years… do you know why?
Some place to store them?
Wait, I’m new to McLean county. . . Is this a joke? Do y’all store people in old buses? 🙁
They aren’t old. They didn’t run long
Uhhh, I knew when moving here the housing shortage was big, but I personally don’t mind the local government using my tax dollars to build real houses. I know some people rely on these houses, like unhoused veterans. I wouldn’t want to put a veteran in a bus, regardless of how inexpensive or “they didn’t run long”.
Considering equal treatment means tax dollars can’t be used to benefit a few that won’t happen
I don’t know what you’re saying here, but I reiterate that we shouldn’t put veterans in buses.
Where are veterans mentioned except by you? People are living in tents outside right now. A bed on a bus has to be better
We should build these houses, regardless of how much it’d cost us over buses. People don’t belong in buses, build a house. I’m proud of the work done by our local government, at least at some.
Try another country. Socialism always fails
NEWBUTAGOODIE says they’re new to Mclean County yet talks like old what’s her name that got fired by the library.
@NewButAGoodie
we are talking about homeless people who live in tents and you are indicating that brand new buses are not good enough for theses people to sleep in?!?!
I think I read that cities were using the diesel busses for warming stations (obviously cannot not use the worthless electric busses for warming stations) This is a great idea and we would be using the electric busses for SOMETHING! Besides, busses and RVs start out the same way – with a large bus frame and then they build up from there.
Why don’t you volunteer your spare bedroom to help provide a bed for a homeless person?
You probably have an extra bed in your house that you are not using, and then they wouldn’t be sleeping in a bus =)
Better, cheaper idea… remove the tents. Give them bus tickets to seattle or pottland.