When Pawlowski gave the State Of The City address last month, he was very gentle on both himself and John Felch, Director of The Lehigh Conference of Churches. That's the organization that cast the homeless out into the storm. Felch placed an editorial in the paper on Friday, and painted the incident as a learning experience. Mr. Felch, allow me to expand your lesson plan. Mrs. Pawlowski started a Commission On The Homeless in 2006. In 2014, they were still sleeping on the basement floor of St. Paul's Church. Last year, they moved to the floor at Alliance Hall. This winter, nine years later, they started the warming station at the Fountain Park Pool House.
From the City Website: In January of 2006, representatives of the City of Allentown and the Lehigh County Conference of Churches met to discuss the city’s unsheltered homeless. During this meeting the homeless persons living underneath the city’s Eighth Street Bridge where of particular concern due to the unsanitary conditions found in this location. In order to address these concerns, Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski appointed a Commission to End Chronic Homelessness charged with developing a ten-year plan to end chronic homelessness in the City.
In the ten years the Pawlowski's certainly didn't end homelessness in Allentown, but it appears that they did manage to add to the corruption in the city.
If the Pope can wash the feet of the homeless, you would think that Felch, after endangering their lives, could be a little more contrite.
I'm assuming the "First Lady of Allentown"
ReplyDeletewas less than successful in addressing the issue of homelessness in the Queen City.
How very unfortunate.
@10:17, i don't fault her for that, but for the less than pragmatic approach to the main problem, mental illness. it's sad that in 2014, the best some the homeless could get was a cold basement floor. the Rescue Mission was (perhaps still is) nothing less than a business, with a full time fund raising department.
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