As temperatures drop during the coldest months of the year, temporary shelters provide an overnight space to wait out extreme weather. Housing directors in Northeast Pa. say an affordable housing crisis exacerbates the strain on people looking for a permanent place to live in the winter.
Cities across Pennsylvania issue “Code Blue” warnings when temperatures dip near or below freezing. Emergency warming centers typically operate on an as-needed basis, but some open nightly throughout the winter to serve the homeless population.
Scranton and Wilkes-Barre
The cities of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre have issued a Code Blue alert for the nights of Dec. 12, 14 and 15. During those nights and future alerts, Keystone Mission will offer cots at Weston Field House at 982 Providence Road, Scranton, and 90 East Union St., Wilkes-Barre. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the mission accepts guests until 9 p.m. The emergency shelters remain open until 7 a.m. the following day.
Danielle Keith-Alexandre, Keystone’s executive director, said though the start of winter is still a week away, several nights in November and early December have already prompted Code Blue designations.
“It’s amazing how things can change between the seasons,” Keith-Alexandre said. “We have to think about… those coming in who have nowhere to live, who have nowhere to stay at night.”
Keystone’s new Innovation Center opened on Oct. 23 in downtown Wilkes-Barre. Keith-Alexandre said the East Union St. location will open at night instead of the Transformation Center on Parkview Circle, which has hosted the program in the past.
Scranton’s Community Intervention Center, a daytime resource for people experiencing homelessness, tries its best to offer extended hours on the coldest days, said Deputy Director Michelle Matyjevich. It's regularly open from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m.
Matyjevich sees upwards of 100 people on frigid days and fields more requests for winter clothing. Even if people don’t drop by the center, social workers can alert their clients through direct outreach when a cold snap is coming.
“We know where the camps are,” she said.
Williamsport
Though not yet open for the season, a church in Williamsport will soon offer meals and respite from the cold. First Church Williamsport, 604 Market St., is scheduled to offer their Code Blue ministry nightly from Jan. 2 through March 22. Volunteers John and Susan Best have coordinated the warming center since 2018.
“Until 9 o’clock at night we’re a church, then we turn into an overnight shelter for those who need it,” John Best said. “Seven-thirty in the morning we turn into a church again.”
Though they originally only operated on sub-freezing nights, First Church moved to a seven-day-a-week schedule. On average, they serve 15 to 20 people each evening, even when temperatures stay above 32 degrees. The need is apparent throughout the season, he said.
“By and large, these folks have been outside all day long,” he said. Over 230 individuals have used the service since it began.
More permanent options in Lycoming County often have long waitlists, like American Rescue Workers and related programs, said Susan Best. The church’s seasonal shelter has often been an alternative when long-term plans fall through, she added.
Mirroring national trends
Northeast Pennsylvania is no exception to the nationwide housing crisis, said Keith-Alexandre, Keystone’s director. Only about one quarter of Americans who qualify for federal housing assistance receive it, according to some experts. That leaves people to rely on emergency shelters or other short-term programs.
“The amount of shelters are limited," she said, adding the price of rent has increased and getting on housing voucher lists can be difficult.
Heather Miszler, Wayne County’s housing administrator, said the only emergency housing options in her area are for victims of domestic violence. She refers other clients to nearby counties.
“There was a Code Blue grant awarded to Wayne County in 2020, but through CARES funding,” she said in an email. “That funding was one-time [only] unfortunately.”
Without other local options, Miszler said her office uses limited funds for short-term hotel stays. “The household must be literally homeless and … must call 211 to be screened first,” she said, referring to the social services referral hotline.
Local administrators may help clients find long-term housing while they use emergency services. City and county-level housing agencies administer the federal housing voucher program also known as Section 8.
But finding a permanent place that accepts a voucher can take time, often much longer than short-term housing arrangements. Getting on the waitlist is only the start.
Judy Kosloski, head of the Wilkes-Barre Housing Authority, said the agency hasn’t accepted applications in the last year and a half. The current waitlist has about 270 requests. The last time WBHA opened applications, they received 500 applications within an hour and had to close the online portal, Kosloski said.
National groups like the Low Income Housing Coalition say more funding is needed for federal housing assistance. They estimate that the U.S. needs nearly 7 million more affordable units to meet the needs of extremely low-income families.
