- Bethlehem officials are looking into where to place a permanent homeless shelter
- This comes as part of Tuesday's community development discussion on affordable housing
- Mapping data shows 465 households made up of 686 people are experiencing homelessness in the Lehigh Valley
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Part of an ongoing discussion between Bethlehem city officials and homelessness assistance programs has involved the potential for a permanent, year-round homeless shelter, according to city staff at Tuesday’s community development committee meeting.
But officials are using mapping data from the Strategic Plan to Address Homelessness and more to figure out the best place to put it.
They said there's no set timeline just yet to open such a facility.
Gathering data, funding
Sara Satullo, city deputy director of community development, said city staff went and completed “lived experience” surveys with 107 people experiencing homelessness around the city to get a firsthand understanding of the issues at stake.
She elaborated on the rethinking of the Bethlehem Emergency Shelter, which would be estimated to include at least 50 non-congregate rooms, 10 family-size units and 25 congregate emergency shelter beds. The facility would feature private showers, laundry facilities, lockers for belongings and a commercial kitchen, among other things, she added.
“All of this information and data that we’ve collected through this planning process has given us a really strong plan that we can use to apply for more funding, attract donors and partners and hopefully then get a sustainable shelter open that will be able to operate long term."Bethlehem Deputy Director of Community Development Sara Satullo
Satullo said that while the city isn’t looking to run a shelter, officials would be planning to fund its opening.
“All of this information and data that we’ve collected through this planning process has given us a really strong plan that we can use to apply for more funding, attract donors and partners and hopefully then get a sustainable shelter open that will be able to operate long term,” Satullo said.
There’s $2 million allocated in the city budget by the council for a potential shelter, and $1.4 million from Home ARP funds could cover non-congregate sheltering. City estimates are showing it could cost a half-million dollars or more annually in operation expenses.
The funding plan would be flexible, she said, adding that ARPA, CDBG, Section 108 Continuum of Care Funds, PHARE and Home4Good, along with private and operator funding could also help to make the shelter a reality.
This concept for a permanent city shelter has been discussed publicly before, including a couple of times later last year.
Site suitability analysis
In the process of figuring out where a facility like this would be located, officials made use of a site suitability analysis tool.
The data looked at the walkability of the neighborhood, city topography, proximity to the LANTA Transportation Center and bus stops, grocery and convenience stores, libraries, pharmacies, laundromats, meal centers and more within a five-minute walk.
Some current points of interest, according to the city's Strategic Plan to Address Homelessness, are near Broad Street and Stefko Boulevard on the city's north end, as well as near East 3rd Street and Broadway in South Bethlehem.
“That map is absolutely accurate.… This is about trying to create stability for the system.”Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds
“That map is absolutely accurate,” Mayor J. William Reynolds said. “ … This is about trying to create stability for the system.”
He added that there could always be the possibility of having multiple sites offering multiple different services.
Council member Grace Crampsie Smith said she was curious to learn more about the potential locations and funding options for the facility.
Council member Rachel Leon was wondering if the city could roll first-time homeowner funds into some kind of program that would work better for the city. The mayor said the Home ARP money is restricted on how it can be used.
Opening Doors: Strategies to Build Housing Stability in Bethlehem
Officials that evening also shared more about the city’s affordable housing outlook, including a view into what's next for its Opening Doors housing strategy.
Mayor Reynolds said the short-term goals for the strategy weren’t going to affect the long-term vision, and city staff has been hard at work to address the challenges facing Bethlehem.
For the city, the short-term goals in handling the housing situation have included continuing the support of local housing programs, hiring more housing-specific staff and assembling a coalition of community partners, officials said.
“We wanted to find the best strategies to leverage our existing resources, to build partnerships, to target households with the greatest need and increase the supply of affordable housing to the greatest extent possible,” Reynolds said.
“We wanted to find the best strategies to leverage our existing resources, to build partnerships, to target households with the greatest need and increase the supply of affordable housing to the greatest extent possible."Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds
Better understanding the data trends surrounding the housing crisis was a crucial part of the city’s efforts, he said.
Reynolds said housing staff have been speaking with and trying to understand more about the personal situations of those without homes within the city.
“Housing is complicated; the solutions are very complicated,” Reynolds said. “We need to understand what those experiences were, we need to understand what the barriers to affordable housing in our community were.”
He also added that about 3,500 people have responded to a city affordable housing survey.
Reynolds said there’s a plethora of options to address the nuanced issue, and it’s important to make sure to gauge the option that will help the most people before the city spends millions on one particular method.
City Director of Community and Economic Development Laura Collins said the city was allocated $1.4 million in Home ARP funding to go along with the $5 million set aside in the city budget for addressing homelessness.
“We can’t have a complete conversation about an affordable housing strategy without understanding where exactly people who are at risk of homelessness and experiencing homelessness fit in."Bethlehem Director of Community and Economic Development Laura Collins
She said her staff have heard from folks facing “unimaginable” rent increases, referencing that home prices have shot up an estimated 52% and rental prices 57% over the last few years.
The array of issues can even impact families of the Bethlehem Area School District, as she mentioned cases of kids going to school tired after spending the night in the car with their families.
“We can’t have a complete conversation about an affordable housing strategy without understanding where exactly people who are at risk of homelessness and experiencing homelessness fit in,” Collins said.
Later in the meeting, Collins showed mapping data that listed 465 households made up of 686 people experiencing homelessness around the Lehigh Valley.
Looking ahead
For the next committee meeting, the mayor said they planned to speak more on how the city will spend its allocated budget money for the implementation of its affordable housing strategies.
The city recently got word it received a $500,000 Choice Neighborhoods grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, set to go towards a planning period for a neighborhood revamp in northeast Bethlehem.
