SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) — Homelessness took center stage at Tuesday’s Scranton City Council meeting, as residents and council members called for more direct outreach and stronger action to help people living on the streets. While some questioned whether enough is being done, the city does already have a task force and network of organizations working on the issue.
“I’ve been homeless. I’ve been staying down on Capouse Ave. Everybody likes to say stuff about Capouse Ave, but a lot of them are literally veterans that have not gotten any help down there. I don’t see any help down there. Even people with drug problems they’re hurt,” said Amanda of Scranton.
Council members acknowledged the frustrations, while also discussing possible ways to connect services directly with people living on the streets.
“I think it’s a very easy suggestion and made it a long way to meet people where they’re at, the drug and alcohol screenings and mental health screenings at our Code Blues and maybe some other functions where people are located,” said Tom Schuster, Council President
The city and county do already work with a large network of organizations through the Lackawanna County Unsheltered Plan Taskforce. The task force includes shelters, healthcare providers, veteran services, outreach groups and nonprofits working to connect people with housing, food, mental health care and addiction services.
Councilman Mark McAndrew said updates from homelessness meetings have left him wanting to see more progress.
“I feel sorry that you’re not getting the help you need and deserve on behalf of our city. I agree, I’ve heard some of the meetings and they have updates and they’re never very promising,” said McAndrew.
According to the task force’s recent data, homelessness in Lackawanna County has increased in recent years, with rising rent prices and limited housing stock listed as major contributing factors.
Councilman Patrick Flynn pushed for more direct outreach in areas known to have larger homeless populations.
“What I’ve always pushed for since the moment I came on council is a comprehensive suite of services for individuals and always meeting them where they’re at Why can’t homeless outreach actually be homeless outreach? Why can’t we have boots on the ground in these areas where we know we have high concentrations of homeless individuals?” asked Flynn.
FOX56 did reach out to the city administration for comment, but because the meeting happened after business hours, we did not receive a response before airtime.