sbburneraccount

Hi Mayor Pete!

I'm moving to South Bend from the South in mid-October. I'm a Hoosier who has moved a lot, but I'm excited to come back to my home state. I have two questions.

First: What can I do to be a good South Bend resident? I've lived places where newcomers are... not the most welcome group. My visits to South Bend have shown SB to be a lot more friendly to transplants (everyone in Michiana that asked why I was in town were very excited that the answer was "looking for a place to live"). But we still want to help South Bend be South Bend. So how can I do that?

Second: I love downtown and have signed a lease for an apartment there. But in my visits to the city, it became clear that the downtown area, while booming, still has a sizeable homeless population. What is your office (and the rest of the city) doing to help the homeless population? My hope is that the individuals are not treated as a problem, but that there is some assistance for them to thrive.

That sounds fantastic, and I can't wait to move.

I saw your answer about homelessness right after I pressed reply on my question, of course. Your approach seems proactive and people-focused, and I'm glad to hear that.

Thanks so much for your answers!