Cots stand inside a room at Trinity Lutheran Church’s Luther Hall, awaiting men in need of a place to stay during Code Blue nights. (Photo courtesy of Mark Lanan)
"As many of you know, until the establishment of this shelter, there was not a regularly available location for women in our area to shelter overnight during the coldest nights of the year."
I am extremely happy to announce that Lansdale Borough has partnered with Montgomery County, community-based organizations and local advocates to facilitate and organize a Code Blue shelter in Lansdale’s Parks & Recreation facility located in Wissahickon Park (765 E Main Street). The shelter is operating for the first time tonight.
As many of you know, until the establishment of this shelter, there was not a regularly available location for women in our area to shelter overnight during the coldest nights of the year. Our Wissahickon Parks Building will be that stable and reliable location going forward.
Beginning back in the last summer Council President Mary Fuller, Vice President Meg Currie Teoh, Councilman BJ Breish, and myself convened to discuss how we might be able to resolve some of the challenges related to the safety and security of both the unhoused people in our community and residents alike. We broke our discussions down into two key areas; sustainable long-term solutions such as transitional housing for the unhoused and short-term immediate needs that cannot wait. The very first item on the short-term needs list was the creation of a reliable Code Blue for women.
In our discussions with Lansdale Borough staff and the Montgomery County Health and Human Services team we were able to identify our Parks building as an ideal location since it was located near other service organizations such as Manna on Main Street that would allow for easier access both for volunteers and the unhoused community at large. As I have discussed in prior musings, challenges related to unhoused people extend well beyond Lansdale’s borders and the continued engagement and investment in this topic by both our Commissioners and our County Health and Human Services team is deeply appreciated.
Like Lansdale’s Code Blue Shelter for men, this new shelter for women will open when temperatures are expected to drop below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Volunteers from multiple service organizations are combining their efforts to ensure both facilities can open each time a Code Blue is declared throughout the remaining months of winter.
I would like to personally thank every volunteer that has dedicated themselves to ensuring these facilities are available to the unhoused in our community. To be very clear, without the support of regular volunteers shelters like these would not open at all and people would be left to fend for themselves in unsafe conditions that would almost certainly result in the direst of consequences. Your volunteerism and support are literally saving lives. Thank you for helping us avoid such tragedies.
Looking forward, our small group will continue to work with Montgomery County HHS to resolve longer-term solutions. Solutions that are geared toward developing sustainable and reliable housing in our community and providing unhoused people with options that will help them lift themselves up rather than leave them behind. We have already laid the groundwork for forward motion on possible transitional housing support to begin in 2025 and it is my hope I will be able to share more information on that soon.
Finally, I would like to thank my colleagues, President Fuller, VP Currie-Teoh, Councilman Breish, and all the borough staff that helped make this a reality in a comparatively short amount of time. Resolving this first and most immediate challenge was critical to ensuring the safety of our unhoused community and without their expeditious work we would not be able to make this happen within the confines of this calendar year. Our combined efforts are helping to build a better community for all that keeps us all moving forward together.
(Mayoral Musings is a weekly op-ed column submitted to North Penn Now, courtesy of Lansdale Borough Mayor Garry Herbert. The views expressed are his own and are not representative of North Penn Now or Lansdale Borough.)
