Vincent Village Selects Tucker

Ink Spot Staff Report

City Councilwoman Sharon Tucker takes over as the executive director for Vincent Village.

Tucker’s natural empathy and long track record of building bridges to find positive solutions made her an easy choice for the Vincent Village Board of Directors to welcome her as the new executive director, said John Christensen, Vincent Village's board chair.

Tucker will begin her duties on Monday, October 4th, as the organization’s fourth executive director in its 32nd year history of service to the community.

“I know the needs that Fort Wayne has,” Tucker said. “And I have a passion for people. I couldn’t be more excited to help move projects and people forward in any way I can in this new role at Vincent Village.”

“Every client’s story is unique,” said Christensen. “And as is true for all of us, every client brings a mix of strengths and weaknesses, so we really focus on customizing each family’s continuum of care towards their long-term welfare.”

In addition to her experience in city government and community initiatives, Tucker has a long and successful career leading high performing teams in the insurance industry at 1st Source bank. Tucker has also been a board member for Vincent Village for the past year.

“Sharon has proven herself to be an incredible resource and advocate for the Fort Wayne community for a long time,” said Christensen. “We were excited enough when she joined as a member of our board and now, with her as Executive Director, we couldn’t be in a stronger position to accomplish our long-term goals and really change the generational impact of families experiencing homelessness.”

In addition to continuing her duties on the city council, Tucker’s first priority for Vincent Village will be engaging other ministries and organizations that serve this growing population in order to improve communication and eliminate gaps between Vincent Village and our partners.

Since opening as Vincent House Transitional Shelter on December 18, 1989, the organization has served nearly 1,300 families. Vincent Village, Inc., owns 32 single-family homes (34 units) as well as 10 units in Vincent House that are open to homeless

families from local emergency shelters and partnering organizations. These two transitional housing programs ensure not only stable housing but also wrap-around

supportive services needed to end the generational cycle of homelessness one family at a time.

To learn more about Vincent Village, go to www.vincentvillage.org.