Background

In early 2025, Mayor John Carney convened the City’s Task Force on Homelessness – a group of non-profit leaders, law enforcement officers, and other experts who work directly with the city’s unhoused population on a daily basis.

Over several months, the group hosted a series of public meetings and gathered input from the public and from unhoused residents. The Task Force’s work culminated in a final report of policy recommendations delivered to the Mayor for consideration.

In the fall, Mayor Carney hosted a press conference outlining the City’s first steps in addressing homelessness:

• Temporarily utilize Christina Park as a City-sanctioned unhoused community site. Encampments outside of Christina Park will not be permitted.
• Ensure that Christina Park is clean and secure and provide stand-alone public restroom facilities with 24/7 access to clean water.
• Open a new dining room at 600 4th Street in partnership with the Wilmington Housing Authority and the Ministry of Caring.

Long term, the Carney Administration intends to build on progress already underway in affordable housing development, expand the 4th Street dining room location to house a day center, and evaluate changes to zoning classifications.

“I directed the task force to consider proposals that balance compassion for the challenges faced by unhoused individuals with the rights and expectations of the broader community. These solutions are not easy, and we have a lot of work to do. But this approach is about being intentional, transparent, and accountable.”

– Mayor John Carney

Our Progress to Date

Christina Park:

As of June 15, overnight camping at the park has officially ended.

Since camping began, 78 people have been connected with stable placement opportunities. Of those 78, 26 were given two-week motel vouchers as a transitional measure. Many individuals at the park did not agree to engage with case management services until very recently. Those folks were given two week stays while they await their 90-day placements as they are filling out paperwork and awaiting processing and intake. We will continue to work with these 26 people to ensure that they transition from the two-week motel stays into the 90-day placements. Everyone at the park was provided with transportation to placement sites.

Despite our efforts, four people refused service entirely. All four were offered two-week motel vouchers. While these individuals will no longer be permitted to camp in the park, we will continue to support them with offers of housing and case management services. In the meantime, all individuals were offered the opportunity to store their belongings at the Wilmington Housing Authority on 4th Street.

After a comprehensive cleaning, Christina Park has been reopened to the public.

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. Read more about the pallet village below. 

Further, 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.

Christina Park FAQs

• What was the Christina Park Unhoused Community Site? 

The site was a temporary city-sanctioned unhoused site located at Christina Park in Wilmington, Delaware. The site was managed by the Friendship House and closed on June 15, 2026.

• Who qualified to stay in Christina Park?  

The park was a low-barrier entry location. Only individuals actively unhoused in Wilmington were eligible for the site. No children were allowed at the site. 

• What services did the Unhoused Community Site provide?  

All individuals at the park were required to cooperate with case management services. This included housing navigation, mental health and substance use counseling, financial barrier coaching, etc. 

• Who managed the Christina Park unhoused community site?  

The Friendship House managed the site beginning January 2026. 

Friendship House and on-the-ground case managers oversaw day-to-day operations in coordination with City departments and community partners to connect individuals to pathways toward stability.

• Was the park open to the public?  

Only a portion of the park was used for the unhoused community site. The piers and gazebos were open for public use. The baseball field and park were not permitted for community events.  

As of June 16,the park began a comprehensive cleaning. It has now reopened to the public. 

• Can people stay at Christina Park indefinitely?  

No. People were permitted to stay at the park while the location was officially city-designated through June 15, 2026.

• How was Christina Park Cleaned? 

The City Department of Parks and Recreation provided trash and pickup three times a week. Additionally, the full park was cleaned at least bi-weekly by a third-party vendor.  

• How was safety managed at the park?

The Friendship House provided on-site management and security cameras to monitor activity and to ensure the environment was safe. Wilmington Police Department also provides roving foot patrols through the area based on location needs.  

Pallet Village

As of Friday, June 5, 2026, City Council must select one of the parcels that City officials have surveyed and pass a special use provision so that the land can be used for the pallet village by July 1. If not, the State’s capital and operating money will not be available due to the State’s ARPA rules.

Dining Room at 600 4th Street

In partnership with the Wilmington Housing Authority and the Ministry of Caring, the City has opened a new dining room at 600 4th Street to provide regular meals and connections to supportive services.

The long-term vision for this site includes expanding its capacity to operate as a day center, offering additional resources such as case management and referrals to housing, healthcare, and employment services. We have been actively working to secure funding. We have submitted a bond bill request to the State for half the renovation cost, and thanks to Council Member Cabrera’s sponsorship, City Council approved the second half of funding through the Community Development Block Grant amendment last night. This goal is effectively moving forward, and City Council has been involved. This is on track to be ready within the year.

Long-Term Strategy

The City’s long-term work on homelessness focuses on:

• Supporting the development and preservation of affordable housing within the city.
  • In the Fiscal Year 2027 budget, Mayor John Carney proposed a $20 million plan to incentivize the development of affordable housing for individuals at or below 80% of the area median income. This level was vital to ensuring that everyday working individuals who are living paycheck to paycheck were not inadvertently disqualified from participating. However, Council decided to decrease the budget for affordable housing to $13 million. We will go back to Council next year to request the rest of the funding.
    
    
• Exploring updates to zoning classifications that can support more flexible housing and service options.
  
  
• Strengthening coordination among City departments, nonprofit providers, and regional partners.

As projects move forward, this page will be updated with specific milestones and outcomes.

Resources and Partners

The City of Wilmington works closely with a range of partners to address homelessness, including:

• State of Delaware Department of Health and Social Services
• Wilmington Housing Authority
• Friendship House

Media questions should be directed to Caroline Klinger (cjklinger@wilmingtonde.gov) and Michael Webster (mike.webster@friendshiphousede.org)