ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Vice President J.D. Vance stopped Tuesday at Allentown Rescue Mission after laying the blame for an “affordability crisis” at former President Joe Biden’s feet during a stop in Alburtis.
Vance served lunch to residents and staff at the downtown nonprofit with his wife, Usha; U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie; and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, according to Stuart “Skip” Smith, who runs the mission.
Local reporters were not invited inside for Vance’s visit.
After they helped with lunch service, the Vances spent “at least half an hour” having a private lunch with four men from the mission’s Clean Team Workforce, Smith told LehighValleyNews.com.
“We're a pretty good model. We're the kind of model that a lot of politicians like to hear about.”Stuart "Skip" Smith, Allentown Rescue Mission CEO
Each of the men told the vice president his “story,” describing how they became homeless, how the mission helped them and “where they are headed at this stage of their life,” Smith said.
“They had a great time,” Smith said.
Clean Team members are graduates of the mission’s emergency shelter and transformation programs who “are currently earning a living and saving money” to secure more permanent housing, he said.
The men who dined with Vance said he was “very approachable” and “just like a regular guy,” Smith said.
Vance “and his wife both told me that they really, really enjoyed the lunch, and they were happy to be able to spend the lunch time with four of our Clean Team associates,” he said.
'A pretty good model'
Vance’s visit to the downtown Allentown shelter was in the works for more than a week.
Smith said administration officials selected the mission as a potential second stop for their Lehigh Valley trip after getting glowing reviews from “a lot of references.”
Those references came from Pennsylvania politicians who have similar visits, including Mackenzie, U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick and former Sens. Bob Casey and Pat Toomey.
The Allentown Rescue Mission’s initiatives “line up really, really well with things they care about,” he said.
The mission works to “rescue and rehabilitate” homeless men and “restore them to employment, [and] financial independence,” Smith said.
He said much of the nonprofit’s work is funded through private donations rather than federal funding.
“We're a pretty good model,” Smith said. “We're the kind of model that a lot of politicians like to hear about.”
'It can work — and does'
Smith also highlighted the Second Lady’s focus on children’s literacy.
He and others showed Usha Vance the mission’s “Books to the Rescue” program, which collects “learn-to-read” books from families as their children progress to higher comprehension levels.
“To be recognized for the work that they do, it's a very, very big morale booster for our organization overall.”Stuart "Skip" Smith, Allentown Rescue Mission CEO
The mission has handed out more than 26,000 books since its inception.
Smith was grateful Tuesday for the vice president’s visit with other top officials.
“I'm thankful they stopped in and they gave us recognition,” he said. “It's a very big encouragement to our guests and to our employees and our staff.
“To be recognized for the work that they do, it's a very, very big morale booster for our organization overall.”
Smith said he hopes the mission showed Vance and other officials that shelters and services “can actually help these men really restore themselves to a proper [place] in society — that it can work, and it does work.”
