Why Should Delaware Care?
With Delaware bracing for its first major winter storm of the year, the need for shelter for those living on the streets is vital. In response, the City of Wilmington is set to open a community center to house individuals until the weekend storm blows over.
Wilmington officials will open the Hicks Anderson Community Center on Saturday to shelter unhoused residents during a forecasted blizzard this weekend.
Caroline Klinger, a spokesperson for Wilmington Mayor John Carney, said the community center will remain open for homeless individuals “as long as necessary.”
“City officials will be regularly evaluating conditions as the storm progresses,” she said.
Separately, on Friday afternoon, Carney also declared a state of emergency for the city, encouraging residents to stay off the roads when the snow begins. In the declaration, he also noted that the Wilmington Police Athletic League, a private nonprofit, will be open to shelter residents in need during the storm.
The Wilmington area could see a foot of snow, with most of it falling on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. The storm is expected to begin Saturday evening and last through Monday afternoon.
Many of the unhoused residents expected to use the Hicks Anderson Center in West Center City will be coming from Christina Park, where a growing number of homeless people have pitched tents in recent months.
Last year, Carney designated the park as the city’s only sanctioned area for people experiencing homelessness.
On Friday, one resident, Richard Cornish, told Spotlight Delaware that he suspects that some of his neighbors at the park are likely to stay in their tents, rather than go to the Hicks Anderson Center, or another shelter, during the storm.
At the park, “you got your own place,” he said. “It’s your space dot com.”
For himself, Cornish said he will stay the night at a family member’s house if temperatures drop too low.
After the bulk of the snow falls on Sunday, low temperatures are forecasted to be in the upper single digits through the week.
The Friendship House, a Wilmington homelessness service organization, will coordinate efforts to move individuals indoors before the storm arrives.
The Rev. Patrick Burke, pastor of the Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew, which partners with Friendship House, said the church will be open for the unhoused only from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. He said it will likely operate during the same hours on Sunday and Monday, though those plans have not yet been finalized.
Kim Eppehimer, CEO of Friendship House, said officials have also made arrangements to store people’s personal belongings during the storm. The Friendship House has created an online form to accept donations for food, clothes, and supplies to support the unhoused population during the storm.