ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Half a dozen people have lived in tents along the Little Lehigh Creek for the past two years.
They met at the Allentown YMCA’s warming shelter before making the move behind a retaining wall near Fountain Park, where their tents line a small path that separates them from the water.
“Where do I go in seven days?”Anthony Ocurto, camp resident
One of those people, Jack, 23, stood on a concrete slab-turned-patio late Monday morning, cooking a pack of cheeseburgers on a grill he salvaged from the Recycling Drop-Off Center as he spoke to LehighValleyNews.com.
Allentown police showed up last week and told him and five other residents they would soon be forced out, Jack said.
City officials posted notices Friday that ordered them to leave by April 20. That gave them 10 days to get out.
They now have less than a week to find somewhere else to lay their heads.
“Where do I go in seven days?” camp resident Anthony Ocurto said Monday afternoon.
'Show a little compassion'
Jack, Ocurto and their campmates say they're still trying to figure out their next move, but they’re likely to keep sticking together.
The camp is “safe” and “convenient” for its residents, with downtown Allentown and Ripple Community Inc.’s drop-in center a short walk away, according Ocurto.
Its residents likely will look for a similar piece of land on which to live until they’re evicted again, rather than bouncing between shelters and other facilities.
“I could be dead and buried by the time they call."Camp resident Anthony Ocurto on waiting for an apartment to become available
Ocurto said he’s stayed at the Y’s shelter, the Lehigh Conference of Churches’ Daybreak center and the Allentown Rescue Mission, but prefers living outdoors where there’s more “freedom.”
He credited those facilities for providing people with services, but they’re “a place to go, not a place [to stay],” he said.
The Allentown YMCA’s winter shelter has offered beds to up to 80 people a night since the end of September.
But it’s scheduled to shut down Wednesday, leaving those people to find somewhere else to stay.
“At least give us time. … Show a little compassion.”Anthony Ocurto, camp resident
Ocurto said he's on a waitlist for an efficiency apartment in Bethlehem, but he’s not optimistic that unit is in his future.
“I could be dead and buried by the time they call,” he said.
When asked Monday if he needed anything, the 66-year-old pleaded for a reprieve from city officials.
“Not really, just time,” he said.
“At least give us time. … Show a little compassion.”
'Remove all items'
The notices posted last week by city officials order residents of the small camp to vacate by 8 a.m. April 20 “and refrain from trespassing on this private property.”
“Please remove all personal items,” the notice reads. “Items left behind on April 20, 2026, will be considered abandoned and subject to disposal.”
The notices state the area “is highly dangerous due to flood risk” and threaten residents with arrest for “defiant trespass” after the eviction date.
The small path near Fountain Park is the only place Jack has lived outdoors, he said.
He said he plans to leave before authorities arrive next week, though he’s hopeful the camp’s clearout will be delayed — as happened last year at camps along the Jordan Creek.
He said Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk is using the area's flood risk — as deemed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency — as "a nice excuse."
"It's a risk; now you've got to act on the risk," Jack said.
He may be among those who speak out Wednesday night at Allentown City Council’s meeting, where Councilwoman Ce-Ce Gerlach plans to introduce a resolution seeking emergency actions from Tuerk and Lehigh County Executive Josh Siegel.
Gerlach is urging them to immediately allocate funding to pay to transition people from the shelter to hotels “to reduce service disruption and provide a short-term housing option for those who would otherwise return to rough sleeping.”
And Gerlach wants both administrations to identify a property where people can “reside legally without fear of being swept or ticketed.”
Gerlach also has introduced legislation to establish standard operating procedures and timelines for evictions of homeless camps in Allentown.
Council is scheduled to consider that bill April 29.
