Homeless camp cleanup continues as concerns arise
SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — An increasing homeless population in NEPA has stirred up mixed feelings in Lackawanna County.
Over the weekend a citizen group cleaned up areas along the Lackawanna Heritage River Trail, some of those areas included homeless campsites.
On Monday an organization that works with the homeless, on a daily basis, spoke with 28/22 News on the issues surrounding the cleanup. Over 1,000 people used the Keystone Mission’s Code Blue shelters in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre this winter.
Homelessness is not a new problem in Scranton or Wilkes-Barre. But now organizations are seeing more families on the streets. It’s easy to forget those seeking shelter, could be you or someone you know. Many individuals who stay in tents along the Lackawanna River are taxpayers.
“And now we are seeing people who are families, working poor, two working parents that are now becoming homeless, or single parents who are now becoming homeless who are working, so it’s a bigger issue here than just trash,” said Lasha Wyman-Klein, the Program Director at Scranton Innovation Center.
The Keystone Mission says the number of people who are without shelter locally is unprecedented.
CEO & Executive Director Danielle Keith-Alexandre raises concerns about how recent tent cleanups could hinder an individual from moving forward.
“These belongings are everything that they own in the world,” explained Danielle Keith-Alexandre, CEO & Executive Director of Keystone Mission.
“A lot of times when there are tent removals and belonging removals their IDs their birth certificates and their social security cards are also removed and trashed in that process,” Wyman-Klein added.
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Without those items, they can’t get jobs, secure rooms for rent, or hotel rooms to get out of the situation. Proper documentation could take weeks or even months.
The non-profit is in agreement, that trash and litter in homeless camps, whether in plain sight or hidden is unhealthy and an eyesore.
However, they say it’s a symptom of a much more alarming situation.
“In order to combat that, we really have to focus on the system overall, and that means supporting permanent housing, affordable housing, fair market housing, funding mental health and addiction services,” Wyman-Klein continued.
The Innovation Center has many rules already in place to help with littering. For instance, if you take a bedroll, when you bring it back to throw out, you’re given a fresh clean one.
“We have to hear them out, they also have feelings, they also have concerns. They know it’s a problem, a lot of them are aware that the trash has escalated. They know, but we have to look at it from another angle,” said Keith-Alexandre.
Stay tuned on Tuesday as we take a closer look into helping the lives of those unsheltered. In the meantime, if you’d like to help the Keystone Mission with donations visit their website or Facebook Page.
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