Woctors curious about an extension cord on the roof of a Michigan grocery store made a surprising discovery: A 34-year-old woman lived inside the business sign, with enough room for a computer, printer and coffee maker, police said.
“She was homeless,” Officer Brennon Warren of the Midland Police Department said Thursday. “It’s a story that makes you scratch your head, just someone living on a sign.”
The woman, whose name was not released, told police she had a job elsewhere but had lived inside the Family Fare sign for about a year, Warren said. She was found on April 23.
Midland, best known as the global headquarters of Dow Inc., is 209 kilometers north of Detroit.
The Family Fare store is in a commercial area with a triangle-shaped sign at the top of the building. The sign structure, likely 5 feet wide and 8 feet tall, has a door and is accessible from the roof, Warren said.
“There was some flooring that was put down. A mini table,” he said. “Your clothes. A Keurig coffee maker. A printer and a computer – things you would have at home.”
The woman was able to get electricity through a power cord plugged into an outlet on the roof, Warren said.
There was no sign of a staircase. Warren said it’s possible the woman reached the roof by climbing somewhere behind the store or other retail establishments.
“I honestly don’t know how she got there. She didn’t indicate it either,” he said.
A spokesperson for SpartanNash, Family Fare’s parent company, said store employees responded “with the utmost compassion and professionalism.”
“Ensuring there is ample, safe and affordable housing continues to be a pervasive issue across the country that our community needs to partner to address,” said Adrienne Chance, declining further comment.
Warren said the woman was cooperative and quickly agreed to leave. No charges were filed.
“We provided her with some information about services in the area,” the officer said. “She apologized and continued on her way. Where she went from there, I don’t know.”
The director of a local nonprofit that provides food assistance and shelter said Midland — which has a population of 42,000 — needs more housing for low-income residents.
“Seeing someone who works with the homeless, part of me recognizes that she was really resourceful,” said Saralyn Temple of Midland’s Open Door. “Obviously, we don’t want people to resort to illegal activities to find housing. There are much better options.”
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
