Community Discusses Crime & Homelessness at City Council on October 2, 2025

Kat Reynolds addresses the Wilmington City Council during the public comments portion of the meeting.

At the October 2, 2025, Wilmington City Council meeting, residents shared their concerns regarding crime and homelessness in Wilmington during the public comments portion of the meeting.

First, Todd Vance addressed the city council and stated that his biggest concern was the homeless population. He spoke about his mother-in-law, emphasizing her age and stating, “My mother-in-law… walks the streets out here and picks up trash, the homeless trash that they throw on the ground.” He compared Wilmington to California and stated, “I don’t wanna live here anymore.”

Jakob Hockett, an employee for Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH), shared the positives and negatives of what he’s seen, as he has been working in Wilmington for over two years. According to Jakob, local programs for homeless veterans are “great” and the veterans are not homeless for very long. He even mentioned that he has been working with Sugartree Ministries and stated, “It is making an impact… I promise you that there is effort being made for movement either by me, [Sugartree] ministry. There are people that are pushing for movement.” Jakob noted that there is a “huge uptick” in families in need of housing, specifically single women with children and disabled elders.

In addition to Jakob, Alexis McKee from PATH spoke about their service to Clinton County. She stated that so far, PATH has served 150 individuals in Clinton County, 31 more individuals than they served last year at this time. McKee acknowledged the “influx” of individuals and stated that, in addition to losing four beds at “the homeless shelter,” the region also lost its domestic violence shelter. She mentioned that the nation is in a housing crisis and shared that they have seen multigenerational families living in tents at state parks. She also called attention to the large senior population that lacks support. Mckee stated, “There are a lot of situations where [Sugartree] ministry comes in and saves the day for children, for seniors, for veterans.”

Another public comment participant, Kat Reynolds, spoke about the ongoing drug epidemic and the trauma endured by individuals and children with insufficient housing. In her experience as the Clinton County Care Coordinator for the Hope Line, she stated that she has supported 209 individuals this year.

Lastly, Jane Johns shared her frustration about homelessness and crime in Wilmington, stating that she is “fed up.” Johns said, “I wanna know when the City of Wilmington is going to stop coddling the behavior in this town and start enforcing the laws that are in the books and our ordinances. Y’all sit up there every other week and you say you’re gonna do something and jack shit gets done.” Johns stated that she wants Buckley Brothers, the landlord of Sugartree Ministries, to be addressed and declared as a “public nuisance.” She continued on to claim that she witnessed a drug deal in the pocket park on Main Street and stated, “I sent every single one of you [on city council] an email showing you a drug deal… I got a reply from two of you.” She called for “law and order” and the enforcement of the ordinances. Later in the meeting, Councilman David Nanstead called attention to the same incident Johns referenced and stated that they would hate to see the privately owned pocket park close due to crime.

In response to the public comments about homelessness, Mayor Pat Haley stated that he has been trying to address the issue for three years. He stated, “We’re in a no-win situation. We [either] don’t do enough or we’re doing too much, depends on who you talk to.” Haley later continued, “Not all crime in Wilmington, Ohio, is committed by the homeless population, but I think in the three years that I’ve been involved, there is a population that frequents My Father’s Kitchen that causes problems.” He shared that he had meetings with local religious societies and Lee Sandlin, Director of Sugartree Ministries, during his term to discuss the problem. Haley mentioned a need for training, education, and mental health support in Wilmington, but claimed that the only means the city has to solve the problem right now is through arrests and putting them into the court system for a judge to send them to treatment. He also stated, “We’ve been trying to change some of the things that go on in the city, and what’s happened, we’ve been attacked, we’ve been… insulted. As I said several times, here I am, a former sheriff, and I’m accused of no confidence by the police department.” Haley then claimed that crime has decreased in the past year by 50 percent. He concluded by discussing roadblocks and expressing that it would be uncommon for a judge to sign off on declaring Sugartree Ministries as a “nuisance,” as it would be a “radical thing.”

Council President Matthew Purkey asked the mayor if the roadblocks were coming from city council, which the mayor denied. Purkey then asked the mayor if he had met with the board of Sugartree Ministries, as Councilman Michael Snarr and Police Chief Josh Gibson, who were both present at the city council meeting, are part of the board. Purkey stated, “I think it would be most effective to start to build up those conversations and find solutions.”

To learn more or watch previous city council meetings, visit wilmingtonohio.gov.