 By ADAM McNAUGHTONSeptember 11, 2008
STROUDSBURG — A local housing program now has more capacity to help homeless families struggling to get by in Monroe County.
Pocono Area Transitional Housing has been giving homeless families a temporary home since 1990. On Wednesday, the program opened its newly renovated housing facility at 120 Park Ave. in Stroudsburg.
"The homeless issue here is bigger than people think it is," said Sharon Taylor, PATH executive director. "We have had a waiting list every day since we first opened. There are a lot of people that are struggling for a place to live."
More than 60 people attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the house to celebrate its opening. Three families with children will be able to move in starting next week, Taylor said.
Families in the newly expanded house will be given a safe, temporary place to stay with their children while they work to get on their feet. While at the house, families are assigned caseworkers who help them find jobs, save money and eventually find and maintain their own housing.
"Affordable housing is at a premium in this area," said Megan Williamson, PATH board member. "It's very much in need. We have to turn away over 200 families a year."
PATH has been giving families in need a temporary home at 120 Park Ave. since October 1995. A construction project that began last November expanded the capacity of the house from five families to 10. The house also has a new handicap-accessible ramp and improved laundry room and kitchens.
"It's not just about expanding capacity," Williamson said. "It's about having safer, healthier housing for the families and children that will stay here."
The PATH program is still raising funds for the project and contributions are welcome, Williamson said, but any donation of household items to help the families also are welcome.
Anyone wishing to donate can contact PATH at (570) 476-1828.
"The best part is seeing the success of families," Taylor said. "They come back after they have moved out and they tell us about all the positive things in their lives now. When you see someone having a normal and successful life after leaving, that's the best part." |
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Since 1990, PATH has provided crucial, temporary shelter for families with children that have lost their homes and are trying to build stable, productive lives. Within the safe haven of PATH, over 90,000 people nights have been spent under our roofs.
