Clergy join housing advocates in rally urging Wilmington officials to do more to address homelessness

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Faith leaders and housing advocates are demanding Wilmington officials do more to help the homeless.

Formerly homeless residents and clergy members marched on Wilmington’s city hall Monday to call on leaders to help people get off the streets and into housing. Marchers sang and carried signs and a wooden coffin along downtown streets.

The action was part of the “Moral Mondays” movement being held across 16 states, led by progressive and religious groups.

Wilmington resident Paul Tanner spent years on the street in a wheelchair before finally securing permanent housing. He suffers from diabetes and related conditions.

Tanner said Delaware has few resources for people who are disabled and homeless.

“I learned there was only one handicap shelter in the entire state of Delaware,” he said. “Only one. There should be more handicap beds in cities like Wilmington. Not just one bed in the state.”

Delaware is facing a rise in people experiencing homelessness. A 2024 count found more than 1,300 people without housing — with more than 600 living in Wilmington.

Mayor John Carney vowed to address homelessness in his first year in office. He is proposing allowing unhoused people to camp in one of the city’s parks. But all other encampments would be banned.

“As we attempt to provide support for the unhoused here in Wilmington, we have a responsibility on how, on behalf of the residents of neighborhoods, to ensure that Wilmington operates in an orderly and lawful way,” he said in October.

Raquel Cruz said she doesn’t think the mayor’s plan goes far enough.

“The mayor needs to do much, much more than just shuffle the unhoused around rather than try to pursue better outcomes for them,” she said.

Housing advocates argue a ban on sleeping outside criminalizes homelessness. They said Wilmington needs more shelter beds and affordable housing.

Carney said city officials would provide restroom facilities and clean water for Christina Park residents and will explore adding a shower facility there. On-site security is also part of the plan.

The city is also working with the Wilmington Housing Authority and the Ministry of Caring to open a dining hall for the homeless at the WHA site a block away from Christina Park.

The mayor has also argued that Philadelphia’s efforts to clean up Kensington, an area known for an open-air drug market and homeless encampments, is adding to Wilmington’s homeless population looking for shelter and services.