The Allentown Voice

12/12/2024

In early 2023, the city decided to dissolve the city’s Homeless Coordinator position. But tonight, city council voted to set aside $150,000 for a Homeless Service staff with the caveat that the mayor must present a more detailed request by Jan. 8.

Councilperson CeCe Gerlach, who co-sponsored this budget amendment, said that “it would be a position that could bring different agencies together and tackle the issue of homelessness at the administrative level.” Councilperson Santo Napoli, the other co-sponsor, focused on the need for data and said this money would be used to increase efficiency.

While there was mostly support across the dais, Councilperson Daryl Hendricks expressed his concern. “This is an awful lot of money, and where’s Lehigh County? This is something that should be done jointly. This is not only an Allentown problem.” Mayor Tuerk countered that homelessness is something the city is already working with across all city departments including parks, fire, police, EMS, public works and the health bureau. “Everyone in Allentown has a role to play and coordination is essential,” he said. Vicky Kistler, director of Community and Economic Development, added that this is a data driven initiative to reach solutions to homelessness, this isn’t an effort to deliver housing.

The vote passed unanimously.

09/04/2024

Allentown faces a striking lack of tree equity, or the even distribution of trees. How did this come to be? What is the city doing about it?

Student reporter Zoe Lachter examines tree equity in her feature story on the Allentown Voice website (allentownvoice.org/tree-equity).

p.s. How well do you know your Allentown tree cover? Do you recognize these streets? Comment with your best guesses.

(Answers are in the article!)

08/28/2024

08/21/2024

“Housing instability and lack of affordability in housing is not only in the margins anymore. This is something everybody is or knows somebody who's experiencing it.”

- Karen Pooley, political science professor of practice at Lehigh University

Housing instability can affect anyone.
Why don't neighborhoods tolerate more affordable housing projects? Read more in The Neighbor Unfavor by Alex Caban-Echevarria at allentownvoice.org

08/08/2024

"It's a moral issue, but it's also an economic issue. When people are unstably housed, it means instability for families and children."

- Sara Satullo, deputy director of community development, City of Bethlehem

Housing instability can affect anyone.
Why don't neighborhoods tolerate more affordable housing projects? Read more in The Neighbor Unfavor by Alex Caban-Echevarria at allentownvoice.org

07/31/2024

"Extremely low income renters are one financial crisis away from losing their housing. We saw it happen during the pandemic. We know it can trigger housing instability."

- Andrew Aurand, senior vice president of research, National Low Income Housing
Coalition

Housing instability can affect anyone.
Why don't neighborhoods tolerate more affordable housing projects? Read more in The Neighbor Unfavor by Alex Caban-Echevarria at allentownvoice.org

07/29/2024

Housing instability can affect anyone. Why don't neighborhoods tolerate more affordable housing projects?

Read The Neighbor Unfavor by Alex Caban-Echevarria at

Housing instability can affect anyone. Why don’t neighborhoods tolerate more affordable housing projects?​

07/10/2024

In 2020, urban planning consultants from Chicago took a trip to Allentown to discuss the Vision 2030 plan, a detailed roadmap for development in the city. One of these consultants, Leslie Oberholtzer, said that almost everything has changed since that first trip.
One part of Vision 2030 is the first complete rewrite of the zoning code, called ZONE Allentown. The first two phases, research and drafting, are now ready for community feedback with open houses, office hours and a neighborhood survey. Zoning officials have been working on this third phase for about six weeks.
On July 9, the first of three open houses in Allentown neighborhoods was held at East Side Youth Center, where residents were invited to share their thoughts, ask questions and see the new code. As city officials greeted guests, Oberholtzer, a principal consultant at CodaMetrics, and Kirk Bishop, vice president of Duncan Associates, walked around the room where the new rules, regulations and procedures were posted alongside new city zone maps.
Oberholtzer explained that the first step to using the code is to find your address and the color code for your neighborhood. Depending on what type of building your house is will determine how it’s used, including how many units or accessory dwelling units are allowed.
The new code allows for more building types for residential homes, separating them into several distinctions of single family homes, rowhouses and twinhouses. Building types in mixed-use zones include storefront and general buildings. Other updates incentive affordable housing with exceptions from parking requirements and building height as well as a streamlined process for other use variances without going to a zoning hearing board.
The next two open houses will be at Fearless Fire Company No. 14 on the south side on Wednesday and at Theatre514 on N. 19th St. on the west side on Thursday. ZONE Allentown is also open for office hours in City Hall on July 10 and 11 from 9-11am. The final phase of ZONE Allentown is city approval, so if you have questions, now is the time to ask.

- Alex Caban-Echevarria

More reporting on zoning projects will be published soon on allentownvoice.org.

06/28/2024

For the last few months, housing advocates have been anxiously awaiting the announcement of the Supreme Court’s decision that would essentially decide if homelessness can be criminalized. The Grants Pass decision, announced today, says that cities can enforce bans on sleeping outside.

The decision is problematic when you consider that many cities, like Allentown, do not have a right-to-shelter law. This means something sudden, like an eviction, a medical crisis or a layoff, can leave people with zero options if they can’t afford rent—there is no guarantee that they will find room in a shelter and no guarantee they won’t be arrested for sleeping outside. Our shelters in Allentown are full to capacity, and homeless advocates have been imploring city officials to work on solutions.
Allentown’s Unsheltered Declaration of Rights affirmed the rights of those who are unhoused to rest or enjoy public spaces. The Commission on Homelessness introduced the Declaration of Rights with a simple goal–to remind all of us that those who are unhoused have the same rights to exist and deserve to be treated as such. The Grants Pass decision is an ominous indicator of the dehumanization of the unhoused. City Council voted to reject this declaration on Wednesday, and by doing so, perpetuates the criminalization of our unhoused neighbors in Allentown.

–The Allentown Voice Editorial Board

06/27/2024

A homeless bill of rights on the agenda at tonight’s city council meeting invited a heated debate over the need to affirm the rights of our most vulnerable citizens versus fears that any declarations would make the city “a magnet” for the homeless.

“It does not supercede the law but it does allow people to exist,” explained CeCe Gerlach. City council members expressed concerns that the bill would encourage tent encampments, people sleeping in parks, blocking sidewalks and panhandling. Gerlach explained that anything that is currently illegal, such as public urination, would still be illegal. And whatever is currently legal, such as panhandling, would remain so unless council chooses to write new laws.

A citizen representing the West Park Civic Association, spoke in opposition of the bill. “People are sleeping in West Park every night, why would we invite this problem on ourselves?” she asked (sleeping in parks at nights is against the law in Allentown).

Riley Kreuzer, speaking for the Allentown Commission on Homelessness, explained that this bill was initiated because an increased number of people without homes shared experiences of being dismissed and discriminated against. “As we anxiously await the Supreme Court decision in Grants Pass vs. Johnson, which takes up the question of whether local governments can fine or arrest people for sleeping outside, it again seems pressing that the rights of those living unsheltered be reiterated and spoken aloud,” he said. And he clarified that the commission wants the law to be “enforced equally regardless of housing status, not emphatically enforced to one group while another is overlooked.”

After several impassioned pleas from housing advocates to support the bill, council voted to reject it. Gerlach and Santos were the only ones who voted in favor.

06/12/2024

A committee met tonight to discuss the Unsheltered Declaration of Rights. Councilperson Napoli expressed concerns this could allow aggressive panhandling, blocking sidewalks or sleeping in parks. “Some of this is ambiguous,” said Napoli. Councilperson Hendricks said community members felt this resolution was unnecessary. “What’s next, a bill of rights for mail carriers?” he said.

“This is saying we value every single resident in the city of Allentown regardless of housing status,” said Councilperson Gerlach. “In this country, we often make declarations for marginalized communities to reaffirm they belong.” A resident affirmed stating, “when people don’t know they have rights, it’s so easy for those rights to be violated.”

“We are treated differently than those who have homes,” said resident Vanessa Fletcher. “We are chased, asked for ID, police look in our bags and hassle us for being in a park. We are not criminals, we are just trying to survive.”

The resolution was forwarded to the June 26 city council meeting.

06/11/2024

Who needs affordable housing? In Allentown, there are currently 11,000 people on a waiting list for affordable housing--far more than the city has available.

However, the recently opened Bridgeside Estates is an affordable housing option in Allentown. A press conference was held at Bridgeside Estates on May 29th to highlight housing development through funding from the Biden-Harris Administration’s, American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Allentown received $57 million dollars in ARPA funding. White House Senior Advisor Tom Perez visited to discuss Allentown’s progress in building affordable housing.

There have already been roughly 900 applications for Bridgeside alone.

The first phase of the Bridgeside development consists of 51 new apartments. Notably, these are in the place of what was originally the Little Lehigh housing complex with 75 apartments. Twenty-two families have moved in, though the apartments won’t be filled until the end of June. Additionally, the project has yet to break ground on phase two, where the other half of the old residences still stand. With a new developer involved, though yet to be announced, phase two should see completion in a few years.

- Zoe Lachter

06/06/2024

Is it illegal to be unsheltered?

Back in April, the U.S. Supreme Court heard a case centering on a city in Oregon called Grants Pass—this small city has no public shelter but its local law essentially allowed the city to fine or jail someone for sleeping on public land. As we await the court's decision, which is expected at the end of June, housing advocates here in Allentown are concerned about the implications.

At tonight’s city council meeting, an Unsheltered Declaration of Rights crafted by the city’s Commission on Homelessness was put forward to council by Councilperson CeCe Gerlach and Councilperson Natalie Santos. The resolution suggests that every person has the right to housing—and that regardless of their housing status they should be allowed to enjoy public space, have access to medical care and basic needs such as public restrooms. They also have the right to sit, rest or sleep in a temporary shelter and to be notified when illegal encampments are swept so they can protect their belongings.

The resolution was referred to a committee and will be discussed on June 12 at 5:30 pm.

06/05/2024

A large, government-owned property in Allentown was recently sold for $5.5 million to prominent local developer JB Reilly’s City Center Corp. The company plans to create a master planned community, called Northridge, on that property. Will it meet the needs of Allentown’s residents? Read “The Bargain” on our website to learn more.
allentownvoice.org/the-bargain

04/04/2024

Did City Council pull a bait and switch on the $1.2 in ARPA funding promised to local non profits back in December? In tonight’s council meeting a resolution to take the $1.2 million and put it into the city’s general fund brought impassioned comments from the public. While Councilperson Gerlach tried to negotiate a way to earmark the money to implement recommendations from the upcoming housing study, the criticism stemmed from what many in the public saw as broken promises. Councilperson Zucal said the resolution was written because the city never created an allocation process for the money but CED Director Vicky Kistler stated that she previously requested that the ARPA money shift to the city’s budget so they can simplify the application process but got no response from council. The confusion among city council about what occurred over the last few months amplified the frustration felt by the public. “I’m as confused as everyone else,” admitted Councilperson Affa who wrote the resolution with Zucal and Hendricks. After additional back and forth they ironed out a resolution to transfer the money to the general fund so that it could eventually make its way to the CED office for distribution to local nonprofits.

03/07/2024

Urban parks are especially important in a dense, formally industry based city like Allentown--a city that once lacked easy access to the natural environment, as the remnants of the industrial era still linger in the city, especially by the river. Could a riverwalk change how Allentown views the Lehigh?​

Urban parks are especially important in a dense, formally industry based city like Allentown, that once lacked easy access to the natural environment, as the remnants of the industrial era still li…

01/29/2024

With some help from other community institutions, the city of Bethlehem looks to implement eviction prevention and rental assistance measures through mediation, court representation and rental funding.