FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): A plan to move the Fort Wayne Rescue Mission to a new home in downtown Fort Wayne cleared a major hurdle Tuesday night, with the City Council approving a rezoning request that would let them build a new 85,000 square foot facility at the corner of Washington and Lafayette Streets with only one opposing vote.

Councilman Tom Didier says he supports the Mission’s outreach efforts:

“I really commend the whole staff and what they’re trying to do, to make this a much better place for these people, so they can get out of… an endless cycle that happens,” Didier says.

Opponents had expressed concerns that the mission’s new home would be too close to a nearby liquor store, and that it would increase the number of homeless people in and around the downtown area.