After the city passed an ordinance last summer that banned camping in certain cases, enforceable as an infraction, council committed to doing more for the homeless.
At the first council meeting of 2026, they started that work by directing staff to seek a partner for a low- or no- barrier shelter. Housing Director Rachel Shuler says that’s where the most need is in Wilmington, and it can be a challenge for many providers.
“Where you get into the extremely low or no barrier is when you're looking at folks that may have some criminal background, that may not be able to be in the same population as families or children," Shuler said.
Finding a local partner capable of this kind of shelter may be a challenge, so the city is open to outside agencies.
The city is also reviewing possible sites for the shelter, with consideration for zoning, existing neighboring uses, and how close the site is to bus routes and existing services. Council didn’t discuss any specific sites.
The planned site would “ideally” be open 24 hours a day, Shuler said, and would have capacity for 30 to 40 people.
On top of the proposed shelter, the city is looking into conducting a summer point-in-time count, similar to the federally mandated January count.
As for the ordinance that triggered this plan, Police Chief Ryan Zudema said he hadn’t seen any significant change to enforcement, homeless activity, or anything else since the ordinance went into effect.
