Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of stories that explores the development of the Housing First philosophy and its use in communities around the U.S. and Europe. Housing First programs provide "permanent supportive housing" for people who experience chronic homelessness. This article was developed in partnership with Input Fort Wayne. Many people who experience homelessness choose to sleep on the streets of Fort Wayne rather than leave their beloved pets behind to enter a shelter. Others can’t stand the idea of being separated from a spouse or a partner who is not allowed to stay there. Still others who struggle with addiction find they can’t honor a promise to stay drug and alcohol free in a shelter. Those restrictions are among dozens of barriers to...
How are American Rescue Plan Act Funds being spent in Fort Wayne? The City fills us in
The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc and disrupted most facets of life in Fort Wayne and across the nation. To address a wide array of needs felt across the country, Congress and President Joe Biden enacted a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package in March 2021 known as the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Its objective is to aid the United States in its recovery—both economic and otherwise—from the COVID-19 pandemic. The City of Fort Wayne received $50.8 million in ARPA funding, and on April 12, Fort Wayne City Council presented its official Recovery Plan for ARPA money. A total of $18.2 million is set aside for strengthening neighborhoods in the city; $13.3 million is available for making city operations more resilient; $13 million is allocated...
For Some or For All? Electric Works is going to change Fort Wayne, but there is trepidation
(Editor’s Note: This is the second of a two-installment joint project between Fort Wayne Ink Spot and Input Fort Wayne [inputfortwayne.com] looking at the catalytic potential of Northeast Indiana’s largest project—Electric Works—and how it will affect various neighborhoods near and around the development such as inclusivity, gentrification, and community development.) One of the biggest unanswered questions about Electric Works is: How will a project of this nature and scale, in an economically depressed part of town, impact the neighborhoods surrounding it and across the city? As the master redevelopment firm, RTM Ventures has already started construction on the 39-acre, 18-building adaptive reuse project that seeks to transform the city’s vacant General Electric (GE) campus into a...
Will Electric Works Be An ‘Inclusive’ Development For Fort Wayne?
(Editor’s Note: This is the first in a two-part joint project between Fort Wayne Ink Spot and Input Fort Wayne (inputfortwayne.com) looking at the catalytic potential of Northeast Indiana’s largest project—and how it will affect various neighborhoods near and around the development. Issues such as inclusivity, gentrification and community development.) In recent years, Fort Wayne has seen considerable growth and development in the form of private and public projects—from the Parkview Regional Medical Center‘s sprawling Dupont campus to the City of Fort Wayne’s decade-long transformation of downtown, starting with Parkview Field in 2009. But while many projects have enhanced Fort Wayne’s quality of life in specific ways, for specific people, their effects haven’t been all positive or...
Resettling refugees in Fort Wayne: How does the process work, and what is needed?
A former refugee from Burma, Nyein Chan knows what it’s like to adjust to a new place—not just in Fort Wayne, but in the United States. He knows what it takes to build a life here from scratch. That’s why, for the past 25 years, Chan has worked for Catholic Charities as Director of Resettlement Services for the national organization, helping other immigrants and refugees make the transition to life in Northeast Indiana and the U.S. For years, Fort Wayne has been welcoming families and individuals from around the world seeking refuge from war-torn and hostile environments. So what has the process looked like historically, and how is it evolving? Where do refugees find housing in Fort Wayne, and what is needed to help them assimilate and prosper here? The story is complex, fragmented, and...
Who’s unhoused in Fort Wayne? Often, it’s mothers and those escaping abuse without social networks
Sharon Tucker, Executive Director of Vincent Village, in front of the Sally Weigand Community Center. (Rachel Von Stroup) When Angela Skelton left an abusive relationship about 12 years ago, she moved to Fort Wayne to live with her parents. Since then, sometimes working three jobs at a time, she’s managed to save enough money to move into a two-bedroom apartment with two of her children. But when her rent went up $300 a month in late 2019 and her third son moved home at the beginning of the pandemic, they needed more space. That commenced an apartment hunt in Fort Wayne, which Skelton says lasted nearly two years. ‘It felt like another job,” she says. “As the price of rent goes up and the number of houses available goes down, it’s getting harder and harder to find somewhere to live.”...
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The Collaborative Corner | Christi & Amanda Hille
https://youtu.be/x6l437kZhq8 In this episode, we're diving into the vibrant film culture of Fort Wayne with Christy and Amanda Hilly from Cinema Center. As board president and secretary, they’re also festival chairs for the Hobnobben Film Festival happening October...
National Voter Registration Day, Tuesday, September 17, 2024
To promote voting and civic engagement, volunteers representing eight (8) local non-partisan organizations: League of Women Voters of Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne (IN) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, Alive Community Outreach - Peacemakers, Northeast Indiana...
The Collaborative Corner | Rachel Blakeman
https://youtu.be/0c9D5O_gZcs Our latest episode of "The Collaborative Corner" features an insightful conversation with Rachel Blakeman, Director of the Community Research Institute (CRI) at Purdue University Fort Wayne. Learn about CRI's efforts to broaden its...