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Gary plans 'blight blitz,' seeks funds and issues demolition RFPs; pledges more than $3 million for new shelter
Summary
Mayor Eddie Melton said the city will launch a volunteer-driven blight blitz aimed at roughly 60 unsafe structures, will issue upcoming demolition RFPs for several downtown sites and announced a contribution of over $3,000,000 to build a new Brother's Keeper shelter that would expand capacity.
Mayor Eddie Melton said the city will pursue an aggressive, volunteer‑backed campaign to remove unsafe, blighted structures and prepare sites for development while increasing shelter capacity for people experiencing homelessness.
"We have a volunteer army of local contractors who will be targeting approximately 60 unsafe, blighted structures across 5 of our neighborhoods," Melton said, announcing the initiative the administration has called the "blight blitz." The mayor said the effort will focus on public‑safety hazards and site‑readiness for future development.
At the event the administration also announced an immediate contribution "of over $3,000,000" from city and partner sources to help build a replacement Brother's Keeper shelter. The mayor described the planned shelter as increasing capacity from a current 14 beds to about 50.
Melton said RFPs would be issued imminently for several downtown sites the city plans to clear or make site‑ready, including the Genesis Convention Center and its adjacent parking garage, the old Gordon's department store annex, the Mecca Building and an old Methodist church. He framed the demolition and site‑readiness work as a step toward attracting private developers to downtown and the transit development district, but he did not say the buildings have already been demolished.
The administration put the full cost to address the city's blight inventory at roughly $80,000,000 and said about $24,000,000 has been raised to date; Melton called on state and federal partners for additional funding. He also noted county assistance has helped fund some demolition activity and credited the city attorney’s office with pursuing legal steps to hold property owners accountable where appropriate.
Why it matters: Removing hazardous structures and increasing shelter capacity are both public‑safety and humanitarian priorities; in Gary the measures are also explicitly tied to downtown redevelopment goals and to unlocking private investment. The city’s announcements signal procurement and grant steps to follow rather than completed demolitions.
What’s next: The administration said RFPs will be released in the coming days for selected structures, and redevelopment staff will coordinate appraisals and site‑readiness under a state law change that the mayor said takes effect July 1.
