LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — On Monday, the City of Lancaster, Lancaster County Food Hub, Lancaster County Housing & Redevelopment Authority and Lancaster County Homelessness Coalition announced that 80 emergency shelter beds will be made available throughout the winter season up until March 31, 2024.
"There's going to be 40 people that are safe," said Douglas McFarling, shelter manager at the Lancaster County Food Hub. "They’re not going to freeze to death. They’re not going to be mugged lying on the curb somewhere."
The Lancaster County Food Hub committed to providing 40 more emergency shelter beds, which increased the total number to 80. Additionally, the organization stated that they are working diligently to secure all necessary resources to increase their capacity.
It’s part of an effort to address a growing homelessness issue Lancaster City has been facing for years.
"We’re really being overrun and we’ve been screaming for years, ‘What are we going to do?’ said McFarling. "Here we are finally to the point where we have to do something. There’s so many people on the street."
Currently, the Food Hub's low-barrier shelter offers 40 beds, however, more will be made available as soon as staff can be recruited.
"We have the beds set up, they’re ready to go. It’s a matter of being able to have the people in place," said McFarling. "We have to have good people to be able to run this kind of operation and they’re very difficult to find."
The Food Hub says it will start adding beds as early as this weekend and hopes to double its capacity by mid to late January.
"The Food Hub is stepping up in a big way for our community. I am beyond grateful for their dedication and partnership. We urgently need more shelter capacity in the City and other communities around the country," said Mayor Danene Sorace.
"We really have a welcoming community so when we look at the number of beds and the services we need to provide, this is a community that can get this done," said Rebecca Geiser, deputy director of health housing and community development for the city of Lancaster. "We’re looking forward to partnering not only as organizations but as you said with the wider community."
The shelter was previously operating at Ebenezer Baptist Church and closed on Nov. 15 due to a boiler failure. Officials with the organization stated that it was an "incredible community effort to move individuals experiencing homelessness to a temporary space in less than 24 hours."