Post Date:05/11/2026 9:50 AMWILMINGTON - Today, individuals at Christina Park were formally notified that the city-sanctioned encampment will close on June 15, 2026.
The encampment was always intended as a temporary measure to help individuals find a pathway out of street homelessness by centralizing services and support in one location. To that end, each day, opportunities for stable housing and mental health/substance use treatment are made available to everyone at the park. Since coordinated case work services began at the park, 14 individuals have utilized these services and transitioned to placement. In the weeks to come, Friendship House, Partners in Care, and community partners will continue working diligently through expanded hours to help as many unhoused people as possible achieve this same outcome.
Friendship House, in its formal capacity with the City of Wilmington, will be available to support folks during this transition through the end of its contract on June 30. Following the conclusion of the contract, Friendship House appointment services can be coordinated via their helpline at (302) 482-2271. Through June 30, folks in need of immediate assistance should direct inquiries to the Friendship House Wilmington Empowerment Center at (302) 652-8033.
Christina Park is a public, taxpayer-funded space, and as such, will return to public activity during normal operational hours. We have heard from countless Wilmington residents who are eager to see the park return to its intended recreational use for the surrounding community. The public should be advised that the park is expected to be temporarily closed from June 16 to June 25. The City will conduct a full-scale cleaning, removing fencing around the pavilions, and prepping the grass area and baseball field.
This transition does not change our commitment to exploring more permanent solutions to support the unhoused. We are hard at work evaluating all the recommendations in the taskforce report and are actively engaging with Springboard Collaborative to explore low-barrier shelter site options in Wilmington. Wilmington will also use funding from the local government portion of the Prescription Opioid Settlement Fund to expand Partners in Care, which will allow them to provide additional case management services. As these efforts progress, we will work in tandem with partners at other levels of government, and 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. Return to full list >>
