Heated public comment at Fort Wayne council meeting over proposed downtown low‑barrier resource center

More than 60 people spoke at a June 2 Fort Wayne Common Council committee session about a proposed low‑barrier homeless resource center at 333 East Washington Boulevard, laying out sharply divergent views ahead of a planned public hearing June 9 on the project's funding.

Supporters, including nonprofit leaders, clergy and people with lived experience, urged the council to approve the center and locate it downtown because many services and clients already are concentrated there. Meg Ditzler, chair of the Anchor Resource Center, described the project's leadership and said the site offers proximity to existing outreach partners. "We need a resource center and we need it now," Ditzler said.

Speakers representing faith institutions, social‑service organizations and volunteers said a centralized location would make it easier to deliver hygiene, case management and housing navigation services. Pastor Jason Morris, whose office sits about 20 feet from the proposed site, said the block already is the "epicenter" of homelessness services and argued the center would improve coordination: "This center will give them somewhere to go," he said.

Opponents — including nearby business owners and representatives of St. Paul’s Lutheran School — expressed concerns about child safety, the concentration of services on a single downtown block and the adequacy of the project's operating budget. David Wall, who said his family owns a café across from the proposed site, said the location would "have an immediate negative impact" on his business and asked the council to pause and reconsider. Several teachers and administrators from St. Paul’s described the school’s downtown neighborhood and said the proposed site sits within a few hundred feet of students’ walking routes.

Speakers also raised legal and operational questions. One commenter cited Indiana statutes that restrict registered sex offenders' proximity to schools; others asked how the center would verify offender status, enforce exclusions and ensure long‑term operating funding. A number of speakers compared Fort Wayne’s $1.2 million annual operating estimate to higher figures from other cities and asked for a publicly presented, verifiable operating plan and funding model.

Supporters countered that many claims about violence or public disorder were anecdotal and that services concentrated near other downtown resources — the Rescue Mission, Parkview Alliance Health, Brightpoint and the YMCA — would increase access and reduce risk. Several speakers said research shows centralized services can reduce street homelessness and improve outcomes when paired with professional staffing and coordinated supports.

Council members acknowledged the depth of community concern and scheduled a focused public hearing on funding for June 9 at 5:30 p.m. in the Finance Committee; Councilman Jeff Paddock asked those who plan to speak to address the funding appropriation specifically. Several council members said they support the concept of a low‑barrier center but asked for more details on operations, screening and legal compliance before final approval.

The hearing will let council members weigh testimony limited to the appropriation question before the scheduled vote next week.