Shelter Shuffles, No Solution in Sight

A Tale of Two Priorities in Allentown

Allentown, Pennsylvania, is at a crossroads. On one hand, the city is looking to invest heavily in infrastructure, including plans for new fire stations designed by Alloy5, a Bethlehem-based architecture firm with project management by Butz Construction. Imagine that. 

I guess JB Reilly cannot soak up all of the city's taxpayer funds and is throwing a few breadcrumbs at Butz. On the other hand, the city’s homeless population is being displaced from encampments with little to no long-term solutions in place. The mayor has been tone deaf in his approach to handling the homeless in our city. In one breath he says that he is looking to support the homeless, but my sources tell me secretly he has waged his own war against the homeless because he has no sympathy for their situation at all. He wants them off the streets and out of Allentown.

Alloy5 was contracted to design a new fire station with budgets reaching in excess of sixty million dollars. The city engaged Alloy5 to search for a viable location for the new fire station.

They explored nine 9 potential locations for the new fire station and homed in a parking lot on Fourth and Turner streets owned by Lehigh County. 

This project is being framed as essential for public safety and modernization, ensuring firefighters have state-of-the-art facilities to serve the community. Uhm ok. My post today does not focus on the vanity reasons that the Fire Administration and the Mayor are looking to have a new station. The lies around the condition of central fire and the need for a new structure vice complete renovation will surely show up in a separate future post if this building ever becomes a reality. There is no use spending time on a dream.

 

The Homeless Crisis

Meanwhile, homeless encampments along Jordan Creek have been repeatedly cleared by city crews, often during bitterly cold weather. Mayor Matt Tuerk acknowledged that about twenty residents living in floodplain encampments will be forced out, but efforts to establish a “safe camping” site for displaced individuals have stalled.

Advocates argue that the city’s search for a safe site was half-hearted, with officials ultimately declaring such a solution “not feasible.”  

The juxtaposition is stark: millions of taxpayer dollars are being allocated to fire station construction while homeless residents are left without shelter or support. 

The Commission on Homelessness exists to advise the mayor and council, but its recommendations have not translated into meaningful action. Clearing camps without providing alternatives has left many residents vulnerable, especially during winter months.

Mayor Tuerk and his administration spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on a study for a "Life, Health and Wellness" center and a $10 million parking deck but continues to ignore the homeless issue because his actions and attention to this matter show that the "homeless just don't matter".  

Public safety is undeniably important, but so is human dignity. Fire stations protect property and lives, but ignoring the plight of the homeless undermines the very fabric of community safety. When taxpayer dollars are spent on infrastructure while basic humanitarian needs are neglected, residents are right to question the city’s priorities.