Wilmington Needs an Affordable Housing Trust - Ways You Can Help

Homelessness is painful for people trying to live outside and destabilizes neighborhoods. Yet if any one of us lost our housing and tried to get a place to stay tonight through the state's shelter placement system (1-833-346-3233), there is a good chance that nothing would be available.

That's because there aren't enough shelter beds, or homes people with a regular job can afford, for all the people that need them.

We need an Affordable Housing Trust in Wilmington to start to address this problem. Council passed the legislation, but the Mayor vetoed it. Tomorrow, Council has the chance to override the veto.

Here's why it's important:

The legislation sets up a fund to address housing issues in Wilmington.

The legislation creates a Community Advisory Board to give residents and Council a voice in determining what housing needs should be prioritized for funding, like doing something about the growing number of people living outside and the shortage of homes people with a regular job can afford.

Once the fund is set up, the City can put money into it through the annual budget process, or through a bond offering, or by requesting funding from the state.

Next, the Affordable Housing Trust can fund organizations that are willing to step up to meet the priority housing needs identified by the Community Advisory Board, like adding shelter beds so that when someone loses their housing, there's space at a shelter where they can stay, or creating units that are affordable for the 1/2 of Wilmington households with incomes less than $58,000.

Council passed legislation to set up an Affordable Housing Trust in Wilmington, but the Mayor vetoed it last week.

Council will have a chance to override his veto this Thursday at 6:30.

How you can help:

• Contact your Council Members to ask them to vote yes to override the Mayor's veto and create an Affordable Housing Trust for Wilmington: https://www.wilmingtoncitycouncil.com/

• Attend the Council Meeting: https://www.wilmingtoncitycouncil.com/meetings/july-2-2026-wilmington-city-council-meeting-anchor-location-and-remote-participation/

• Read the legislation here: https://www.wilmingtoncitycouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Sub.-2-to-Ord.-20-019-0199-An-Ordinance-to-Amend-Chapter-8-of-the-City-Code-to-Establish-an-Affordable-Housing-Trust-and-Community-Advisory-Board-W0131393x920B6.pdf