City Council Requests Public Forum, Site Study Before Fort Wayne, Indiana Homeless Shelter Funding Vote

Fort Wayne Mayor Sharon Tucker has expressed disappointment that the city council decided to hold off on a vote to fund a proposed homeless shelter downtown. In response, the council says it still wishes to hold a public forum before moving forward.

In a letter obtained by 21Alive News on Friday, the council answered the mayor’s reaction by requesting several items before it will agree to fund the shelter. Council members acknowledged that all parties agree something should be done to combat homelessness in Fort Wayne. They said they want more work on a solution that would appease the community.

The letter highlights five requests the council considers important to address before a final decision is made, so that community issues are resolved rather than worsened. The first is a public forum arranged on behalf of the mayor’s administration to address concerns and questions raised by dozens of residents at previous council forums. The letter states that the current website “does not take the place of in-person dialogue,” a point that reflects the value of hearing concerns directly before deciding (Proverbs 18:17).

The council also wants to hire a real estate professional to research other possible locations for the shelter, and it has agreed to pay up to $10,000 for that evaluation. Other requests include a public operating plan, security and good neighbor agreements, and an option for the council to end the agreement if issues are not addressed within three years.

The council has agreed to move up the timeline for the funding vote if its requests are met.

Source: Read the original report