Contractors inspecting an extension cord on the roof of a Michigan grocery store stumbled upon a surprising find: a 34-year-old woman living inside the business sign, complete with a computer, printer, and coffee maker, police reported.
Officer Brennon Warren of the Midland Police Department remarked, “She was homeless. It’s a story that makes you scratch your head, just somebody living up in a sign.”
The woman, whose identity remains undisclosed, informed authorities that she held a job elsewhere but had been residing within the Family Fare sign for about a year, Warren disclosed. She was discovered on April 23.
Midland, renowned as the global headquarters of Dow Inc., is located 130 miles (209 kilometers) north of Detroit.
The Family Fare store is situated in a retail strip featuring a triangle-shaped sign atop the building. Warren described the sign structure as approximately 5 feet (1.5 meters) wide and 8 feet (2.4 meters) high, complete with a door accessible from the roof.
“There was some flooring that was laid down. A mini desk,” Warren noted. “Her clothing. A Keurig coffee maker. A printer and a computer—things you’d have in your home.”
The woman managed to access electricity through a power cord connected to an outlet on the roof, Warren added.
No ladder was found, leading Warren to speculate that the woman may have reached the roof by climbing up elsewhere behind the store or neighboring retail establishments.
“I honestly don’t know how she was getting up there. She didn’t indicate, either,” he remarked.
A spokesperson for SpartanNash, the parent company of Family Fare, expressed that store employees responded “with the utmost compassion and professionalism.”
“Ensuring there is ample safe, affordable housing continues to be a widespread issue nationwide that our community needs to partner in solving,” said Adrienne Chance, declining further comment.
Warren stated that the woman was cooperative and promptly agreed to vacate the premises. No charges were pressed.
“We provided her with some information about services in the area,” the officer stated. “She apologized and continued on her way. Where she went from there, I don’t know.”
Saralyn Temple, the director of a local nonprofit providing food and shelter assistance, expressed that Midland—with a population of 42,000—requires more housing options for low-income residents.
“From someone who works with the homeless, part of me acknowledges she was really resourceful,” said Temple of Midland’s Open Door. “Obviously, we don’t want people resorting to illegal activity to find housing. There are much better options.”
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