Councilmember Darby urges halt to June 15 eviction and seeks written transition plan for Christina Park residents

Councilmember Chené Darby introduced a resolution at the June 3 Wilmington City Intergovernmental Committee meeting that asks the administration to halt the June 15 eviction date for residents at Christina Park and to produce a detailed, written transition plan with operational supports, case management and funding commitments.

"The way that the administration has been dealing with it has been inhumane," Darby said, asking the committee to require clear timelines, identify appropriate shelters and transitional housing, expand partnerships with community providers such as Friendship House, and create a homelessness resource coordinator position within the mayor’s office to manage casework and contracts.

The item drew extensive public testimony. Multiple speakers urged postponing or stopping the scheduled sweep, describing the park residents as vulnerable and noting barriers to shelter entry (lost identification, medical needs and curfew rules). A speaker identified as Joe told the committee, "This administration has embraced cruelty," and urged council to support Darby's resolution. Other commenters and local service providers described gaps in resources and operations for Friendship House and called for state funding and a longer runway to transition residents into permanent housing.

Kim Epieheimr, chief executive officer of Friendship House, said her organization "is not in favor of closing Christina Park" and warned that, if the park were to remain, an honest planning horizon of 18 to 24 months would be needed to mount a safe and equitable exit strategy for people with complex needs.

The mayor's office submitted a letter read into the record by Chair Darby asserting that outreach to the park has yielded assessments for 55 individuals and that 32 people had been placed into more stable emergency housing, with case management underway for an additional 20. The letter framed the park as part of an operational plan designed to create centralized structure and reduce unsheltered people on Wilmington streets; it opposed the resolution on the basis that the administration had created a plan and was executing placements.

Councilmembers and commenters disputed whether placements and supports were sufficient, whether Friendship House had adequate funding, and whether the short timeline to June 15 created unacceptable risks for residents who lack identification, transportation and stable case management. Multiple residents and advocates urged the committee to press the administration for a written transition timeline and for state funding to cover operations and housing supports.

The committee did not vote on the resolution; Chair Darby said the item would appear on the City Council agenda for June 18. No formal decision to postpone or cancel the June 15 action was made at the committee meeting.