Solutions highlights innovative ideas, programs, and partnerships addressing community challenges in Fort Wayne and beyond. Through solutions-focused reporting, the series explores how organizations, neighborhoods, and leaders are working together to improve health, housing, economic opportunity, and quality of life.
“From an economic development perspective, if you’re growing jobs and attracting people, your housing market needs to be growing as well. Housing is a key component of our economic growth.”
“There are a lot of scenarios that contribute to kids falling through the cracks with healthcare. Maybe a parent who carried the insurance lost their job and they’re in a window where they don’t have coverage. Or they just got here and they’re getting their footing.”
Designed to support neighborhood revitalization by incentivizing property owners to repair or enhance their property's exterior appearance, Curb Appeal provides matching funds to residents in select Fort Wayne neighborhoods.
Construction has officially started on the Pontiac Street Market, a full-service grocery store in southeast Fort Wayne at 918. E. Pontiac St.
"We were amazed at how much we were able to do through crowdfunding.”
“Having a network of organizations and the ability to talk to each other – it sounds so simple, but it’s extremely important in an effort like this."
“People who are already in poverty are vulnerable to others who simply don’t care about them. That’s what ends up being an issue for these kids and young adults, because what happens next?”
“It’s easy, especially for people who don’t struggle with SUD, to think people should just be able to stop using drugs. But the success rate of an abstinence-based approach is really low.”
The goal of this program is to support students who may not have otherwise gone to college—whether they have financial need, are first-generation college students, are first-generation Americans, or may not have considered college due to other barriers.
While the desire to evolve for industry 4.0 isn’t lacking, the realities of adaptation and the infrastructure needed to support change can be complicated.
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