Fort Wayne's Ongoing Fight Against Homelessness: City Responds to Council Pressure with New Initiatives

By Harper James, Investigative Reporter

 

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – As the leaves begin to turn this September, the City of Fort Wayne finds itself at a crossroads in its efforts to address homelessness. Recent exchanges between city council members and Mayor Sharon Tucker's administration have spotlighted the urgency of the issue, particularly around downtown encampments that have raised concerns about public safety and urban vitality. In the past week, city officials have outlined a multi-pronged approach, including encampment cleanups, service referrals, and explorations into low-barrier shelters. But questions linger: What happens to those displaced when camps are cleared? Where do their belongings go, and what support awaits them?

 

The conversation heated up on August 26 when City Council members Russ Jehl and Scott Myers penned a letter to the administration, voicing frustrations over what they see as insufficient action. "We believe the City needs a new strategy to address homelessness," Jehl and Myers wrote, emphasizing the need for policies that enhance downtown safety while compassionately handling encampments.

 

In a swift response dated September 2, City Attorney Malak Heiny detailed the administration's ongoing and future initiatives. "The City has the authority to remove encampments from public spaces and has done so," Heiny stated in his letter, noting that the Risk Management Department, in collaboration with the Fort Wayne Police Department (FWPD), has already conducted 30 cleanups since 2024 at a cost exceeding $76,000. So far in 2025, the department has fielded 99 calls via 311 regarding encampments, highlighting the scale of the challenge.

 

Mayor Tucker's office echoed these efforts, affirming that homelessness has been a top priority since her inauguration. "We've appointed our first Manager of Homeless Services and are convening an Encampment Task Force to coordinate removals with immediate service connections," a statement from the mayor's office read. This task force aims to bridge the gap between enforcement and support, working with local nonprofits to transition individuals from streets to stability.

 

Central to the city's long-term vision is the "Everyone Home" plan, Fort Wayne's comprehensive strategy to prevent and end homelessness. Launched in collaboration with community partners, it emphasizes rapid re-housing, emergency shelters, and preventive measures.

 

Recent data from the plan shows successes like rapid re-housing for 136 individuals and emergency shelter access for over 4,700 people in recent years. Looking ahead, officials are exploring a low-to-zero-barrier day shelter; a facility that would accept individuals regardless of sobriety or other common restrictions, providing daytime refuge, meals, and connections to mental health or addiction services.

 

But what of the immediate aftermath of encampment removals? City policy requires a 72-hour notice to residents before cleanup, during which outreach teams offer assistance. Displaced individuals are directed to existing shelters like the Fort Wayne Rescue Mission or partners in the Everyone Home network, where services include housing navigation, job training, and healthcare referrals. As for belongings, items left behind are typically inventoried and stored by the city for a retrieval period (often 30 days) before disposal, though advocates note this process can be inconsistent and burdensome for those without stable contact information.

 

Community voices add nuance to the debate. On social media, local resident Gina Burgess shared her perspective in a Facebook post: "2025 LOCAL HOMELESS MATTER: First, a very special thank you to everyone who sent me messages... regarding a recent WANE 15 news story. It's heartbreaking to see our neighbors struggling." Reddit users in the r/fortwayne forum have echoed similar sentiments, with one thread discussing the escalation of downtown homelessness: "As our state reduces resources, there will be more and more homeless," a commenter noted, calling for expanded support rather than just enforcement.

 

Not all feedback is positive. Councilmen Jehl and Myers, in their follow-up to Heiny's letter, maintained that "the city still lacks a practical policy or common starting point," pushing for more concrete timelines and metrics. Meanwhile, Street Reach for the Homeless, a local outreach group, expressed caution on Facebook: "We, as a street group, will not serve as a target for people to be followed to encampments or be arrested. We will NOT replace, literally, hundreds of tents!"

 

As Fort Wayne presses forward, the balance between compassion and public order remains delicate. With the Encampment Task Force gearing up and low-barrier options on the horizon, residents hope these steps will yield measurable progress. Yet, as one anonymous community member told me during a downtown walkthrough, "It's not just about clearing camps, it's about giving people a real path out." The city's actions in the coming months will determine if that path materializes.

 

Harper James is an investigative reporter based in Fort Wayne, focusing on local government and social issues.