Find a way to reopen the Times Center
Champaign & Urbana Governmental Bodies
It is freezing and the men's emergency shelter is closed. The Salvation Army and churches are trying to absorb some of the more than 50+ men who used the shelter regularly. But that is the patchwork operation requiring organization / transportation/ understanding which programs require the men to be "in a program" / sober, etc. That was the patchwork system we had before we organized to get the men's winter shelter out of the basement of McKinnley Church. The Times Center opened in 2000. Many resources, over and above the $1.4 million of local, state and federal money that was used to build the building were invested, including sourcing where to locate the shelter, monitoring the crime, and even the donation of the land by a local citizen.
We have a shelter, there is no need to scramble to try to figure out how to solve this problem. The physical shelter needs to be returned to the community and the governmental bodies and community social service agencies and volunteers need to work together to make sure it is staffed in the immediate future.
Petition by
To:
Champaign & Urbana Governmental Bodies
From:
[Your Name]
In the year 2000 local, state and federal funds of more than $1.4 million were used to build the Times Center, 70 E. Washington Street, Champaign IL. It was in good faith that these governmental bodies entered agreement with Champaign County Mental Health Center (a 501C3) who later changed their name to Community Elements, to operate this building as an emergency homeless shelter.
In 2016 Community Elements was purchased by Rosecrance who shut down the building for the use as a men’s emergency shelter (while keeping it open for 20 beds for “transitional” program). We believe that the local governmental bodies need to act to have Rosecrance open the emergency shelter immediately or relinquish it to another agency who will agree to operate it as an emergency shelter. We believe that the local governmental bodies need obtain legal counsel to explore all avenues to have the building returned to the community.