ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Allentown City Council is set to hold a special meeting this week where members will talk about the eviction of a homeless encampment.
Council scheduled a committee-of-the-whole meeting for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall.
The meeting’s agenda, released Friday morning, shows members will discuss plans to raise $134 million in bonds for emergency-services facilities before turning their attention toward the encampment along Jordan Creek.
“Come to the table with an open heart and an open mind — because there are solutions.”Mike, an encampment resident, to city leaders
Allentown employees on Thursday posted no-trespassing signs at the entrance of the camp and handed out notices to some of the 100-plus people who live there.
Residents have until Aug. 25 to leave.
Nowhere to go: Residents
The eviction notices come as the city fights a lawsuit from landlord/developer Nat Hyman, who alleges the camp is hurting his neighboring properties.
But Mayor Matt Tuerk on Thursday said the eviction is not linked to the litigation. An analysis by Allentown Fire Department officials showed the area that includes the encampment sits in a floodplain and poses a potentially fatal risk, he said.
“It doesn’t have to be this way."Mike, a resident of the encampment
Those who spoke to LehighValleyNews.com said they don’t know where they will go; the camp near Tilghman Street was an oasis for many who previously lived alone or in small groups.
A resident named Mike, who helps organize the camp, urged Tuerk, city officials and Hyman to “come to the table with an open heart and an open mind — because there are solutions.”
“It doesn’t have to be this way,” he said of the eviction that’s underway.
Seeking solutions
Council at its special meeting is set to consider some options proposed by residents who attended its previous session Aug. 6.
Several called for members to explore legislation that would allow people to live in tents on private property with the property owners’ permission.
They pointed to a new initiative launched in Harrisburg last month that provides essential services to homeless people in a designated area.
Council could also look to extend the eviction to give people and officials more time to find solutions, according to its agenda.
“This is truly a regional issue. ... We're looking for everybody to play a role and do their part to try to ease suffering a little bit in our city.”Mayor Matt Tuerk
And members appear keen to help the Allentown YMCA open its “warming station” early.
The initial agenda for council's meeting showed six of seven council members supported a motion to fund that earlier opening.
Councilman Ed Zucal’s name was not included; he told LehighValleyNews.com on Aug. 13 that he supports a measure to give $100,000 to the YMCA but wants that funding to be evenly split between the budgets of council and the mayor's office.
The shelter at 425 S. 15th St. is open from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. from mid-November through mid-April.
Tuerk on Thursday said he also would “work to get the warming station open early this year” after ordering the camp’s closure.
That could be a short-term solution for some residents, but the city needs support from officials at the county, state and federal levels to address the Lehigh Valley’s housing crisis and meet “the needs of people who are struggling,” Tuerk said.
“This is truly a regional issue,” he said.
“We're looking for everybody to play a role and do their part to try to ease suffering a little bit in our city.”
