Allentown YMCA warming station is open once again

The Allentown YMCA warming station closed Tuesday night after a guest threatened an act of violence.

According to a Facebook post from the Allentown YMCA, a guest leaving the station Tuesday morning threatened to return that evening and “carry out an act of violence.” YMCA staff closed the station and suspended services Tuesday night out of an “abundance of caution and with the safety of all guests and staff in mind.”

The YMCA warming station is open 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Nov. 15 to April 15 for people experiencing homelessness in the area. The station provides congregate beds and a meal to guests in the cold season, and according to its website, has hosted 354 individuals since it opened in 2018. It has a 64-bed capacity and serves around 40 people on average per evening, according to Amanda Wappes, chief marketing officer of YMCA of Bucks and Hunterdon counties, which oversees the Allentown YMCA.

The YMCA took over the warming station in 2018 — before that, the station had moved from several locations and organizations in a few years — via partnerships with Allentown, Lehigh County, First Presbyterian Church of Allentown and an anonymous $200,000 donation.

Wappes said that the Allentown YMCA notified partner organizations, distributed overnight supplies and directed people to the Bethlehem Emergency Shelter and 211 hotline Tuesday upon deciding to close the station.

According to the Allentown Warming Station Facebook page, Allentown police officers have spoken to the guest who “understands he may not return to the warming station.” The shelter will have police present for the next three nights, and was to open Wednesday evening with all its regular services available.