What happens now with Fort Wayne's homeless resource center?

Hey Locals,

By now, you’ve probably heard that City Council’s long-awaited vote on the Anchor Resource Center happened Tuesday night. The proposal to fund purchasing the building at 333 E. Washington failed, 5-3, along party lines.

While all parties have acknowledged a need to address Fort Wayne’s ongoing challenges with homelessness, solutions remain a point of contention. 

So what happened at Tuesday’s meeting? What alternatives might exist? And where do things go from here?

Let’s break it down.

1. What happened Tuesday night?

Mayor Sharon Tucker began by presenting to Council, answering their questions, and highlighting what the City has done thus far in response to Council’s concerns about the Anchor Resource Center.

This includes:

• Holding an in-person public forum (in addition to an online forum that was open for two weeks). Tucker cited “overwhelming support” for the plans among both public input opportunities.
• Creating a safety plan for the facility (provided to Council), which detailed interior and exterior safety precautions. Tucker also announced plans for an FWPD outpost at the location.
• Sharing operational plans, including a financial plan and budget. Tucker noted flexibility in the budget was due to the changing nature of the project and said gaps would be covered by the local philanthropic community.

Tucker also clarified a few key points based on Council’s concerns. 

• Funding: She explained that Fort Wayne’s Common Council Budget has “no line item that provides revenue for addressing homelessness.” (This means no tax dollars will be used in Anchor’s annual budget.) Due to these constraints, Tucker says the City raised $3M to fund the project.
• Oversight: Tucker says the agreement includes an option for the City to close the facility if it “does not make the City shine.” She further clarified the role that Anchor’s board members and philanthropic supporters would play in holding it accountable.
• Challenges in Lafayette: The City previously cited a similar homeless resource center in Lafayette, Ind., as a model for Anchor, which raised concerns among Council members and others who recently visited the area. While Tucker highlighted some strengths of the Lafayette center, she also acknowledged its shortcomings, noting that because it is in a more residential location, it doesn’t have access to the same resources, security options, and safeguards the City believes Anchor will have – if it is located centrally Downtown. 

Following the Mayor’s portion of the meeting, Council held a roll call vote, where each member explained the reasoning behind their vote. 

Here are a few of the top comments we gathered from Republican members who opposed the center: