Twenty people attended the meeting. St. John Byzantine Catholic Church, at 310 Broadway, Scranton, graciously hosted the event.
Those attending spent the majority of the meeting in small, working groups to discuss needs, develop plans, or start coordinating outreach efforts. Three groups formed:
The groups met for about 40 minutes to discuss topics and reported back to the main group at the close of the meeting.
The group discussed ongoing projects related to youth homelessness and the complexity of this issue. The group proposed strong support for the NEPA Youth Shelter project in Scranton overall and suggested that the GSHC email list might be a way to convey needs that arise at the Youth Shelter (repair projects, supplies needed, funding, volunteer opportunities). The group also plans a meeting with a local expert to gather more information about the youth shelter's future needs (and youth needs overall) and may do additional research to identify the magnitude of youth homelessness in Lackawanna County overall.
The short-term group discussed two topics: 1) a small, pilot, companion-animal project at St. Anthony's for patrons and 2) a proposal (second time) from a group proposing a new, overflow shelter.
(1) Two attendees agreed to coordinate the pilot, companion-animal project and will alert the group if supplies or materials are needed. The companion animal pilot project attempts to address the needs of the few guests at the emergency shelter who maintain a companion animal (or support animal). These support animals can serve a vital role for the guest.
(2) Two people from a proposed project called Overflow Shelter attended the meeting and presented a 2017 Overflow Shelter grant application.
The strategic group discussed expungements (in some cases, allowing the removal of past criminal charges or convictions to enhance employ-ability), employment options, and additional small-group meetings to gather best-practices and lessons from other similar initiatives in the Commonwealth. Fostering self-worth, accessible employment options, and higher wages all seem strategic means to address poverty and homelessness.The group also focused on involving faith groups, and the community in general, in education, dialogue, and action.
The group plans to continue outreach to other groups and plans meeting with United Neighborhood Centers and the United Way NEPA (rapid rehousing). Other meetings may include conference calls with groups in Bucks County, Lancaster County, Dauphin County/Harrisburg, and Adams-Franklin Counties.
The group also discussed assembling quantification of the issues with actual numbers to help the dialogue.
The time, place, and date will be determined and will likely not occur until early January 2019.