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How the new mayor of Wilmington plans to take over the urban non -miserable population – The News Journal

How the new mayor of Wilmington plans to take over the urban non -miserable population – The News Journal

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  • Wilmington Mayor John Carney hopes to turn the page and build partnerships with local organizations to meet the needs of people who are not human.
  • Organizations in the center of Wilmington, which provide services to the restless hope of being part of the proposed Mayor of Homelessness.
  • The threats of freezing and redundancies of federal funding have additional complex problems.

The previous Wilmington administration has long been criticized for how officials have dealt with the incorrect population in Delaware’s most large city.

Conflicts were pushed to the surface last year after the city sharply removed the benches from the outside friendship house, an organization for social services that assisted the residents of the homeless who manage the power center.

The city’s decision sparked a protest among community leaders, which ended with a letter on December 5, signed by more than 250 people accusing Wilmington and his police department in a model of harassment with residents of homeless people and calling the bench removal illegally. A week later, then mayor Mike Presci fired back, calling their claims “wrong claims” and claimed that the letter “undeservedly slandered (d)” city police officers.

With Mayor John Carney, who is already in office, former governor of the state hopes to turn the page and build partnerships with local organizations to meet the needs of people who are not human.

“Instead of fighting each other, let’s try to do better,” he said during a recent interview with Delaware Online/The News Journal.

The Grappling with the homeless population in Wilmington is “pushed to predict” for the Carney administration.

Delaware marked a 9% increase in homelessness from 2023, with approximately 1358 people currently experiencing homelessness, according to the latest report on the number of time from 2024. It is considered the largest number of the state without including the years during the years during Covid -19 pandemic.

Creating potential additional challenges is the threats of President Donald Trump to reduce federal funding, which state and local employees said they impose discussions in other ways to finance programs and services in the future.

Carney aims to collaborate with non -profit organizations and organizations that already serve the UNHOUSE population.

“What I am trying to do now is to get a group of people who understand the population who provide services so that we can do a better job by managing it,” he said.

Merging non -profit organizations

These overtures have not yet been made. At least not with some of the organizations that signed the letter in December to the city.

In late October, Wilmington removed several private benches on the sidewalk that had been there for decades. The city cites fears of public safety and health and noted that the benches are in “public law on the way”, thus giving them jurisdiction. The city’s action prompted more than 250 organizations to sign a letter criticizing Wilmington’s management for the disadvantaged population and emphasized the model that has evolved over the years when it comes to the city’s interaction with the vulnerable group.

Neither leaders from the friendship house, nor the Episcopal Church of the saints Andrew and Matthew in the center of Wilmington have heard from Carney’s office about his proposed city council for homelessness, as stated in his transition plan.

House House CEO Kim Epechimer, as well as Rev. Patrick Burke, said they had requested a meeting with the mayor months ago, but she was not yet scheduled.

Epechimer said that non -profit purpose wanted to be part of Carney’s efforts.

“We have no choice, something has to happen,” she said. “I do not think it is a hope or a response to the response administration. This should be a group effort. ”

It is important for the administration to be ready to listen to organizations working with the non -spoken population, as well as those who are experiencing homelessness, Epechimer said.

“I really believe he wants to help people, but I know this should be done in a common community,” she said. “Cannot be divided.”

Federal funding impact

The more complication of questions about non -profit service providers in multiple sectors – not only the congratulations – are the coming threats to reduce federal funding.

While Trump later canceled an order for freezing grants, non -profit organizations and other service providers that rely on this money, they fear that it may not be so accessible in the future, Rachel Screen, Executive Director of the Housing Alliance Delaware.

“There is definitely concern that the funding that supports these programs may not be renewed sometime in the next few months to a year,” she said. “We just don’t know yet, so it’s a really uncomfortable waiting game. ”

As for the non -related population, communities like Wilmington receive federal dollars through the US Department of City Development and Homes for homelessness through programs such as the continuum of the care program and grants. They then head to local organizations and non -profit organizations that provide these services.

But even those who do not receive federal funding are worried about the effect that may have freezing or shortening.

The friendship house is funded mainly by individual donors, Epechimer said, but if other organizations that also support the same vulnerable population lose their federal funding, there is a “Trickledown effect”.

“This affects the joint people we serve. The demand will increase for services, “she said. “The other concern is that the competition will increase for nefederal funding.”

Therefore, it will be key to service providers to work together and to ensure that they do not duplicate the services, EPPEHIMER said.

“Non -profit organizations need to think more about how we can handle it as a group,” she said. – What can we do to combine the effort? ”

Do you have advice? Contact Amanda Fries at [email protected] or calling or sending text messages 302-598-5507.

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