Short North businesses deal with rise in homelessness

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) - Two months ago a new report from the Community Shelter Board showed homelessness reached an all-time high in Columbus.

During the summer months when foot traffic reaches peak time periods, many unhoused in the community congregate in the Short North. Business owners in the area want those people to have the resources they need, but are growing tired of the unruly behavior.

"It's always been an issue. I would say most people kind of kept to themselves. You know, it's kind of, they walk by. Nobody says anything. But now there's more groups or packs of individuals, either on the same mission or agenda and a little more bothersome approach. And you get your vehicle, you know, just yell and scream," Jim Berling of Skully's Music Diner said.

Berling has been a Columbus and Short North area resident for almost thirty years. He came to Columbus from Cincinnati to attend OSU and said he's never left. He's worked at Skully's since 2003 and now manages the business.

NBC4 spoke with owners and managers at several other Short North businesses who chose not to do an interview, but did tell stories of things they have seen at their own businesses.

Most of them mentioned groups of unhoused individuals congregating together and moving up and down High Street. The business owners said they've seen these groups harassing patrons of businesses, asking for food or money and becoming disruptive if they are turned away. Others said they've seen people urinating in doorways, doing drugs in the open, screaming and yelling at people walking down the street, sleeping on stoops, and even exposing themselves in store windows.

"I know people need help, especially nowadays. But, you know, relying on people and making threats is not the way to go about it," Berling said.

At Skully's, Berling said they are forced to kick people off their property frequently. The music venue and bar has an open air back patio area that is fenced off, but Berling said on multiple occasions people will break in and sleep or congregate with others. 

"Our dumpster seems to be a little gathering point every now and again. You know, they leave their trash and stuff, which I get to clean up. They jumped the fence in the evening, [and use it as a] place to sleep or hang out. But we had our front door kicked in randomly about four in the morning a few months back," Berling said.

Columbus Police and the Short North Alliance have a partnership to combat violent crime called the Short North Interdiction Unit. The alliance also staffs Short North Ambassadors that are trained to intervene and deescalate situations. Berling said CPD is in the area quite often, but they can't be everywhere and once a person causes problems for a business by harassing patrons, they can get away before police arrive.

Berling and other businesses owners and managers want the unhoused population to get the help they need and support the organizations that work to feed and house them. But some behavior in and around the businesses is unacceptable.

"Mostly harmless, I think. But I think when they get a big group of people, you know, using indecent behaviors and, you know, just drunk or, you know, or drug use tends to scare people when they seem to be outnumbered," Berling said.

These business owners said they just want to be able to run their business without the distraction of people asking for money, causing a scene, or harassing and threatening patrons.