6 principles to prevent Lehigh Valley homelessness
As you travel through the Lehigh Valley for work or play you may have noticed an increase in people sleeping outside. And if you are thinking there are more tents and sleeping bags than in previous years you would be correct.
Nationwide, we witnessed a 12% increase in unsheltered people last year. This was nothing compared to the 32% increase across Lehigh and Northampton counties alone, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Unfortunately, 2024 unsheltered counts look to be even more stark, based on early assessments.
We are not alone. Communities worldwide are adopting policies to address increases of people in economic crisis. Lately I look to London (yes, that London, in the United Kingdom “across the pond”) for a set of principles that I believe Lehigh Valley friends and neighbors could easily adopt. It gives me hope that we can address this issue locally and ultimately reduce the instances of “rough sleeping,” to borrow a London term for sleeping outside.
Consider the following principles from London’s Charter to End Rough Sleeping and see for yourself how each of us can immediately begin to do our part to end homelessness.
Principle 1: Accepting People.
Remember that while people “may have problems, they aren’t problem people” as the London charter reads. As a regional community, it’s time to treat even those we perceive as the most difficult of people with the respect we offer our neighbors. After all, if your entire life is confined to a tent or less, then you are enduring some of the most unreasonable stress one can imagine.
Principle 2: Partnerships. In the London charter, partnerships refer to working together with people who have lived experience in sleeping outside. This means working alongside current and formerly unhoused people who
are the true experts in what is necessary to survive. It means not referring to “those people” and instead welcoming our neighbors. You never know a person’s story, and you never know the appropriate intervention without asking.
Principle 3: Open-Minded.
Recognize that every person has their own story, and it might not fall neatly in our worldview. Do we treat people the same regardless of how they arrived to be unhoused? Are we prepared to help our LGBTQ+ friends and neighbors? Do we have room for undocumented persons with children? Are we ready to assist previously incarcerated individuals reentering society? Helping our neighbor requires an understanding that context is everything and prejudgements couldn’t possibly solve a problem.
Principle 4: Safety for everyone. All people deserve protection from violence and
discrimination. One often overlooked area, usually due to funds or available space, is the construction of our emergency or temporary shelter spaces to account for a wide variety of genders, ages, abilities and health status. Noncongregate shelters are the best model and the toughest to build, making safety one of our greatest challenges.
Principle 5: Helping people thrive.
In the Lehigh Valley, we have full wraparound systems that surround our neighbors to ensure all people can receive and feel support. Our nonprofit community is skilled at creating connections with businesses to volunteer, provide in-kind services and assist with funds. We have comprehensive health networks, faith and community groups and a generous philanthropy sector that are no strangers to rolling up their sleeves in a crisis. We demonstrate concern
for our neighbors by finding the right fit for each person and group across the continuum of care.
Principle 6: Prevention. Many of us in the Lehigh Valley operate with an eye toward the underlying causes of an issue. And when it comes to homelessness, those of us in the field know what the solutions are. What we are missing is full Valley-wide participation. Our one mistake in the Lehigh Valley is when we call homelessness a “city issue” and not a “Valley issue.” From Allentown to Wind Gap and everywhere in between, our government officials, mayor’s offices and city councils, must decide to invest in strategies to curb homelessness before it happens.
And there is a way to do this: I am a member of the Lehigh Valley Regional Homeless Advisory Board, which has dozens of member organizations — suburban,
rural and urban aligned — working to make homelessness a brief and rare occurrence.
Annually, the board requests funds from all 62 area municipalities. This is an easy and inexpensive way for every community to show support for our connected region.
Our collaborative and supportive work to address homelessness in the Lehigh Valley is expansive and impressive, and there is always the ability to do more. Let’s begin with the simple act of acknowledging the person you see on the street, making eye contact and exchanging a greeting. The other strategies will unfold from there. Our kindness will go a long way toward bettering our community.