Fort Wayne City Council heard nearly two hours of public comment Tuesday about a proposed homeless resource center at 331 East Washington Boulevard.
While some in the city oppose its location, citing unspecified safety concerns, many expressed support for the project during the meeting.
The proposed low-barrier Anchor Resource Center would be open 24/7 and provide access to services such as connection to housing and job training, as well as mental and physical health care.
Surak Enterprises’ Nancy Townsend said the homeless population is concentrated downtown, and that area of downtown was chosen years ago by the location of services such as The Rescue Mission.
"Doing nothing is not an option," Townsend said. "We don't understand why everyone thinks this will not help. It doesn't exist today. This type of service doesn't exist today, and we're proposing it."
If it goes forward, it will sit diagonally across from The Rescue Mission and around the corner from the Matthew 25 Health Clinic and other resources.
Late last month, city officials announced more than $2.25 million in philanthropic pledges for the resource center.
Council did not make any decision on the shelter, but will hold a public hearing next week on the planned funding mechanism.
