ALLENTOWN, Pa. — City Council next week will weigh a bill that would establish what its sponsor has called “standard operating procedures” for shutting down homeless camps — two months after it was first put on the table.
Council has scheduled a special meeting for 5:30 p.m. Dec. 17 to consider Bill 83.
The measure, submitted Oct. 15 by Councilwomen Ce-Ce Gerlach and Natalie Santos, aims to set clear timelines for city officials about when they can contact camp residents, order their eviction and conduct clearings.Allentown City Council
The measure, submitted Oct. 15 by Councilwomen Ce-Ce Gerlach and Natalie Santos, aims to set clear timelines for city officials about when they can contact camp residents, order their eviction and conduct clearings.
It would require Allentown employees to conduct a risk assessment of each area where they know more than five people are living without shelter.
And the legislation defines how officials should prioritize camps they identify.
Gerlach’s bill also seeks to ensure Mayor Matt Tuerk’s administration works with the city’s Commission on Homelessness.
Commissioners voiced frustrations and said they felt sidelined as officials planned the first of three evictions this fall along Jordan Creek.
Codifying procedures
If the bill passes, officials would be required to notify the commission at least 60 days before posting trespass notices at any camp.
Residents then would be given at least 90 days to move out before an eviction starts.
And the measure calls for a community response line for homeless residents to request clean-ups and basic services.
Gerlach in October said she wants to codify procedures and timelines “because the [Tuerk] administration has no internal policies on how to manage all this.”
Her proposal is due to be considered Wednesday by council’s committee of the whole, which includes all seven members.
Gerlach accused Council President Daryl Hendricks of “political manipulation” with his committee choice after he rejected her request to send the proposal to the committee for parks and recreation, on which she serves with Santos.
That three-person committee would almost certainly recommend the measure’s passage by council and receive a full vote, but its fate is less certain as it faces a review by all seven members.
Two members must join Gerlach and Santos in supporting the bill for it to reach the full council.
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