Two Mayors Take the Lead on Local Solutions

Politics can’t solve all our problems, Pres. Barack Obama said at Temple University on Monday night. 

Yet it can make our lives – and the lives of our neighbors – better when we work together, put away our cynicism, and roll up our sleeves. In two Montgomery County boroughs, recent developments offer reason to hope that words will turn into action to help alleviate homelessness in the coming weeks and months. 

During a March cleanup of an abandoned encampment in Pottstown, volunteers filled several dumpsters. Mayor Stephanie Henrick is pictured second from the right.

In Pottstown, for the past year a group of concerned citizens alongside Mayor Stephanie Henrick have been meeting to help coordinate services for the unhoused. Recently, one of the group’s leaders - Doug Slick - released a comprehensive report titled Ending Homelessness: Effective Strategies for Lasting Change in Pottstown. 

After reading it, you’re encouraged to endorse the plan. Discussions have been underway between county and local officials  to come up with a more permanent alternative to “tent city” until Beacon of Hope opens a planned 24/7 shelter in the borough at High and Glasgow streets. That is at least a year away. 

Elsewhere in Lansdale Borough, officials including Mayor Garry Herbert have been in communication with the county about a potential site for warm shelter during the upcoming winter season. According to a blog post from Mayor Herbert, that same location could potentially serve as a longer-term solution for those experiencing homelessness. 

Our ask: Urge the commissioners to work with Lansdale officials to identify a stronger safety net before winter settles in. There isn’t much time to act, since the county has already declared a Code Blue for a couple nights. Let’s not let the perfect be the enemy of the good in our search for tangible solutions. 

Winter is almost here and people are still living in tents. We need to move with the speed and urgency that our crisis deserves.

jamila@montgomerycountypa.gov. (610) 278-3030 

neil@montgomerycountypa.gov (610) 278-3020 

thomas@montgomerycountypa.gov (610) 278-3020 

(you may leave a message for all three commissioners at the 3020 number)