ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Dozens of Allentown residents will get to speak out Monday against what they’re calling a temporary homeless shelter — more than a month after they fruitlessly waited hours for that opportunity.
Ripple Community Inc. is seeking to build several medical respite rooms in its planned apartment complex in the former Emmanuel United Church of Christ at 1547 W. Chew St.
Executive Director Sherri Binder and several others testified about the project Feb. 5.
But none of the more than two dozen residents who identified themselves as objectors to Ripple’s plans were allowed to speak.
Allentown Zoning Hearing Board paused the hearing as the clock approached 10:30 p.m., with a promise to hold a second hearing for residents to weigh in on the project.
The meeting stretched late into the night after the board started with a case in which an attorney asked for a continuance, then made a 90-minute presentation.
Monday's meeting will start at 7 p.m., with zoning officials to break from tradition to let residents speak first.
‘Magnet for transient population’?
Residents are expected to speak out against Ripple’s proposal to build three “medical respite rooms” where people with unstable housing could recover from injuries or illnesses.
Scott Armstrong, who lives in Allentown’s West Park neighborhood near the church, said many residents were supportive of Ripple’s initial proposal to build 12 “deeply affordable” apartments.
Medical respite rooms “would be for folks who have a physical illness or injury that is unlikely to heal when they’re unsheltered, outside."Seth Campbell, director of Valley Health Partners' Street Medicine team
But the medical respite rooms — which the city’s zoning ordinance deems a temporary shelter — changed that for many, as they could make the project “a magnet for the city’s transient population,” Armstrong said.
The medical respite rooms would let some people experiencing homelessness get desperately needed care, according to Seth Campbell, director of Valley Health Partners’ Street Medicine team.
The rooms “would be for folks that have a physical illness or injury that is unlikely to heal when they’re unsheltered, outside,” Campbell said.
The rooms also could be used by those who need a place to recover after undergoing surgeries, he said.
The Street Medicine Program was launched after a veteran was denied surgery he needed because he was homeless, Campbell told the zoning board last month.
Ripple Community acquired the former Emmanuel United Church of Christ last summer through “an extraordinary gift” from the parish.Executive Director Sherri Binder
The respite rooms would be used for people who are “not sick enough to be in or stay in the hospital, but they’re not healthy enough to recover on the streets,” he said.
Housing, community center
Ripple acquired the former Emmanuel United Church of Christ last summer through “an extraordinary gift” from the parish, Executive Director Sherri Binder said.
The nonprofit has been planning — and working to get approvals for — a project to convert the church into 12 apartments for families with “very low” and “extremely low” incomes.
Rents at Ripple’s other properties average about $875 a month for a two-bedroom apartment, she said.
The project would include building several floors inside the church’s sanctuary to create space for the housing units.
If those plans are approved as presented, the main floor will have a community space for social services, with apartments on the second and third floors.
The top floor would be used for Ripple’s offices.
