Why Should Delaware Care?
In recent years, the unhoused community in Wilmington has grown in size. In response, Mayor John Carney introduced a plan to convert an Eastside park into the only city-sanctioned encampment. Last month, pushback to city mandates at the encampment sparked protests and criticism against Carney’s oversight of the park. Now, officials have decided to close down the encampment.
Wilmington Mayor John Carney’s office notified residents of the city’s only sanctioned homeless encampment Monday that they will no longer be able to live at the Christina Park location after June 15.
The abrupt decision comes a month after the city spent nearly $60,000 to install large pallets and new tents for unhoused residents at the park.
It also ends a months-long initiative by the Carney administration to direct homeless people and their encampments to a single location in the city. Recently, the program drew criticism that the city had not provided promised services, and that it had imposed burdensome rules.
Beyond the notice to park residents, the mayor’s office also announced the encampment’s imminent closure in a press release that cited several reasons for the decision, including that the encampment was intended to be temporary, and that neighbors told officials they wanted the park returned to its previous state.
“We will continue aiming to strike a balance that supports the unhoused, meets the expectations of Wilmington taxpayers, and remains within the financial means of City government,” the statement read.
Following the closure next month, park residents will have to either move to shelter beds or find a place to camp that is not located in a park. In its notice to residents, the Carney administration emphasized that “camping and staying overnight in Wilmington city parks is prohibited.”
Asked where encampment residents could go after the park closes, if they have not secured stable housing, Carney spokeswoman Caroline Klinger said officials will offer opportunities for people to take advantage of housing resources.
She said city officials decided it made “better sense” to move forward with the June closure “and increase our ongoing efforts to transition people to suitable housing/treatment centers.”
When asked whether there are enough shelter beds to accommodate people currently living at the park, Klinger did not provide a direct answer.
Instead, she said the city is discussing with state officials and shelter organizations how service providers “can best meet the evolving needs of this community.”
In response to the news, Kim Eppehimer – executive director of the Friendship House, which provides resources to encampment residents – called the city’s plan an “unfortunate displacement of folks who are essentially already displaced.”
An ‘interim plan’
The city’s decision comes about seven months after Carney announced that Wilmington would restrict legal homeless encampments to Christina Park.
It also follows officials’ decision last month to reorganize the encampment by moving its residents out of their personal tents and into government-issued ones.
To do so, the city purchased uniform, green tents and set them atop pallets along a designated grid at the park. At the time, Carney’s chief of staff, Cerron Cade, said the move was out of concern for the park’s appearance, and to make it easier for paramedic crews to respond to emergencies in the community.
But the plan immediately faced scrutiny and sparked a chaotic scene as Wilmington officials attempted to move residents into new tents amid protests from housing advocates, who feared the changes could threaten residents’ property and disrupt the community.
The protests added to city persistent criticism of city officials that they had not provided services, such as daily meals and security at the park.
Carney has previously said the encampment was meant to serve as an “interim plan,” while his administration worked on longer-term solutions. But, with those solutions still unclear, park residents and housing advocates are asking why the city is moving now to close the park.
On Monday, park resident Ron “Philly” Simmons questioned why the city would decide to close the encampment after it spent time and resources to move scores of residents there, and after recently setting up new tents on large wooden pallets.
“You kicked us out from under the bridge, even police brought people here,” Simmons said.
He also insisted that few people would opt to stay in a nearby shelter, claiming it was an unsanitary place.
City officials noted that the police service organization, Partners in Care, will expand hours to assist those at the park. The Friendship House, which has been under contract since January to manage the encampment, will also continue to provide services and work on transitioning people to stable housing until their contract ends on June 30.
But Friendship House officials say the timeframe won’t be enough time to get everyone in the park transitioned to stable housing and other resources. Eppehimer said the timeline can vary for residents, especially as new people continuously come to the park to stay.
She had hoped to have at least 18 months to two years to help park residents access to resources they need for stable housing. Eppehimer also noted two snowstorms earlier this year delayed help for park residents.
To date, a total of 24 people have been transitioned out of the park to stable housing, Eppehimer said. That can include substance recovery programs, low-income housing, or finding space at the New Castle County Hope Center.
“I think it just shows how much potential there is in unifying resources, getting people to a point they feel that they have a little bit of stability, even if it is in an encampment,” Eppehimer said.
Eppehimer said park residents will continue to have access to mobile showers and laundry units until the encampment closes.
The mayor’s office said it continues to review recommendations from a recent homelessness taskforce final report. Among several proposals, it outlined the plan to temporarily allow a tent community in Christina Park until a village of tiny homes could be built to replace the tents.
The mayor’s office statement on Monday said officials are working with the Springboard Collaborative, which runs the palette village community in Georgetown, to “explore low-barrier shelter site options” in the city.
In its paper notice to park residents, the city said tents must be returned unless residents receive permission to keep them. It also said residents may store belongings for 10 days at a Wilmington Housing Authority building on 4th Street.
Meme Sebelist, a housing advocate with the nonprofit organization Food Not Bombs, said encampment residents have contacted her in the past day stressing they will have nowhere to go after the park closes next month. She asserted that nearby shelters are overcrowded and truly affordable housing programs have been deprioritized in the city.
“If sleeping outside everywhere else is criminalized … where are they going to go?” she said.
