ALLENTOWN, Pa. - With colder weather and even freezing temperatures on the horizon, emergency shelters in Allentown are already starting to fill up, just over halfway through October.
Management from two shelters, Allentown Rescue Mission, and Family Promise of Lehigh Valley, say they have seen a surge in guests.
"Definitely an uptick with the cold weather," said Rosyln Kuba, executive director of Family Promise Lehigh Valley, a family shelter whose only requirement is that guests must have a child under the age of 18 with them.
"There's no affordable housing in the Lehigh Valley," Kuba said. "So there's nowhere to put them — the shelters are backlogged. Even if they wanted to come in, there's a lot of times the shelters are full. So that's a real problem right now."
Kuba said she feels terrible when she has to turn people away — and tries not to.
"It's very difficult because you used to be able to say 'we'll call a shelter' or 'try 2-1-1 and we'll get them in right away," Kuba said, referring to 2-1-1, Pennsylvania's social services help line.
- More than half the beds at Allentown Rescue Mission, which serves men, are currently full
- For women, the 6th Street Shelter in Allentown is open – but reps say they have over a month-long waiting list
- People with children can visit Family Promise Lehigh Valley
- Shelter representatives recommend people seeking housing call 211
"Right now, with the backlog, it's very difficult because there's just nowhere for them to go," Kuba said. "And it takes so much longer to get the families out of the shelter because of the lack of affordable housing."
Allentown men's shelter has room
Management at the Allentown Rescue Mission is not experiencing the same overflow, though they do have a noticeable uptick in visitors.
Stefanie Appel, who does community relations for the mission, said as of Tuesday, they have 82 of their 123 beds full. She said they don't often reach capacity, and when they do, they have cots they can place in the hallways for overflow.
Skip Smith, the rescue mission's chief executive officer, said if people need help, all they have to do is come knock on their door at 355 Hamilton Street.
"They have to have an ID, that's our one requirement," Smith said.
Allentown Rescue Mission has a giant sign on its roof that reads "GOD IS LOVE."
"There's no religious requirement," Smith said, "We've had atheists, we've had Muslims, just because something's presented doesn't mean there's a test, or you have to make any personal decisions."
For women needing shelter, the 6th Street Shelter in Allentown is open but reserved for long-term stays as they are not an emergency service. Representatives said they currently have over a month-long waiting list.
Several staff members at Allentown shelters said they recommend people seeking housing services call 2-1-1 for assistance.
