An Allentown City Council member who called the city\u2019s evacuation of a homeless encampment last fall \u201cchaos\u201d and a \u201cdebacle,\u201d is trying to ensure the city avoids future calamity when displacing homeless residents.<\/p>\n
Ce-Ce Gerlach, a council member who has spoken about experiencing homelessness in the past, has introduced an ordinance that would outline rules and procedures for the city to follow when it decides to evacuate a homeless encampment.<\/p>\n
Despite more than a month\u2019s notice, on the day of the evacuation, dozens of homeless people scrambled to move their belongings from the area before public works staff bulldozed it.<\/p>\n
Gerlach and advocates for homeless residents have said the city\u2019s process of removal seemed chaotic and disorganized, without adequate communication with homeless residents and nonprofits that provide them with services before the evacuation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were a lot of people involved, it was such an abrupt decision, and it really threw service providers into a spin, as well as City Council,\u201d said Riley Kreuzer, a street outreach worker with the Lehigh Conference of Churches. \u201cWe had a lot of people here in August just trying to seek understanding and grant more time because it\u2019s such a big decision that affects so many people, I can tell you, it was difficult for me as a provider watching people go through this. The days of the clean ups were traumatic.\u201d<\/p>\n
City officials including Mayor Matt Tuerk ]defended the evacuation and said it and subsequent camp cleanups were a matter of public safety.<\/p>\n
Gerlach\u2019s bill would require the city to give at least 60 days notice when planning to evacuate an encampment except for an immediate emergency. The bill also would require the city to coordinate with homeless service providers to conduct a \u201crisk assessment\u201d before conducting an evacuation, to determine the level of risk to human health and safety.<\/p>\n
It also requires Allentown employees who interact with homeless people to be trained in deescalation, mental health and cultural sensitivity, and allows a homeless resident to file a grievance with the city if he or she feels protocols were not followed.<\/p>\n