Where to house homeless services – and other issues affecting Downtown's growth

Hey Locals,

On Tuesday, we reported how a proposed location for the city’s first low-barrier homeless services center is causing controversy between Mayor Sharon Tucker and some members of City Council. 

You might remember: 

• The city is planning to open its first 24-hour, low-barrier homeless services center at 333 E. Washington Blvd. near the Rescue Mission. This follows years of research as well as prompting from City Council to address homelessness Downtown. The Mayor and those in favor of the location say it is appropriate to minimize transportation costs and offer proximity to service providers. 
• Last week, City Council member Russ Jehl (R-2) publicly questioned the location, noting that the area near the Rescue Mission already faces challenges with homelessness. He tells WANE 15 concentrating more services there could threaten Downtown's growth, driving out businesses and visitors, and he suggests the city should hire a real estate professional to weigh in on the site. He also asked Downtown Fort Wayne to weigh in on the matter in March and did not receive a response.
• The city will need council's approval to proceed with acquiring the property for the homeless services center. The property will cost roughly $1.5 million, with renovation costs to be determined, WPTA 21 reports.

So what are key considerations regarding the location for a new homeless services center in Fort Wayne? And what do Downtown businesses and stakeholders have to say about the subject?

While the issue wasn’t on the agenda for Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, several residents spoke about it during public comment. In today’s newsletter, we’re hoping to bring more nuance to the conversation. 

Any discussion involving homelessness is admittedly complex and multifaceted, and based on what we’re seeing and hearing, there’s a lot more to this story than the often-polarizing perspectives of compassion versus law-and-order. 

So let’s dive in.

To learn more about the matter, we interviewed several people:

• Homeless Services Manager for the City of Fort Wayne Amanda Fall
• City Council members Geoff Paddock (D-5) and Russ Jehl (R-2)
• Downtown Business owners, including Corey Ford of Fort Wayne Escape Room and Game Show Experience, Mitch Fisher of Midtown Realty and Kim Koehlinger of Koehlinger Security Technology
• Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church and School Rev. Josemon Hoem 
• LTHC Homeless Services in Lafayette, a model for Fort Wayne’s Homeless Services Center

We also sourced messages from Downtown residents and contacted two Downtown-based organizations designed to support small businesses: Greater Fort Wayne Inc. and Downtown Fort Wayne.