Due to the growing recognition of the Pottstown homeless community, Pottstown Beacon of Hope (PBH) received a zoning variance and is in the process of building a permanent shelter.
According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, a permanent homeless shelter, better known as PBH, is an intervention amalgamating affordable housing assistance and support programs to aid the needs of residents.
PBH’s Year-Round Center consists of 45 individual sleeping rooms and six flex offices for groups, organizations and agencies to come in and provide services to guests.
According to PBH, their goal is to provide “everything that may be needed” for guests to give them the best opportunity to transition into “independent stability.”
PBH received its zoning variance on September 18, 2022, after a lengthy legal battle, zoning hearings and public meetings.
During the groundbreaking ceremony, executive director of PBH Tom Niarhos expressed his gratitude for the aid of over 700 volunteers and the 1.3 million in ARPA funds received from the Montgomery County commissioners and staff.
Before the shelter’s construction, the county had been housing a large homeless population, which rose after Hurricane Ida (a Category 4 hurricane) had left many more extremely vulnerable.
“[Hurricane Ida] caused a lot of the rivers to flood in that area, and since Pottstown and Norristown are right up on the river area, they were very susceptible to the flooding.” Legal Aid of Southern Pennsylvania (LASP) Staff Attorney Charles Burrows said. “If you had housing that was then destroyed by Hurricane Ida, and didn’t have housing anymore, there just was not anywhere for you to go in the county.”
Many who have found themselves in this situation are products of an amalgamation of limited housing and a high cost of living and transportation.
“When I’ve been doing my outreaches, [I have found that] actually a lot of my homeless clients do hold jobs and are seeking employment actively,” Community Engagement Staff Attorney Laurel Anderson said. “I see how a criminal record that’s from a long time ago can be a barrier to employment, and even housing, so there are certainly individuals experiencing the impact of that [through homelessness].”
The living conditions of homeless encampments, like Tent City (a conglomeration of tents set up near each other to create community and safety), around the Pottstown area were, and still are, conditions that are considered “rough living.”
“Folks are sleeping on the ground, completely exposed to the elements,” Burrows said.
Encampment sweeps–the forced removal of individuals experiencing homelessness– were continuously being performed by law enforcement.
“Eventually, we figured that there was case law that said that you can’t be doing encampment sweeps without some sort of alternative shelter being offered to folks,” Burrows said. “At our hearing, the judge agreed [with our theory], and we got our injunction granted.”
However, a decision made on Grants Pass V. Johnson made by the Supreme Court in June of 2024 created hurdles for the prevention of sweeps.
According to Grants Pass, the case revolved around the legalization of cities enforcing anti-camping ordinances.
Before this decision, a preliminary injunction was put in place due to the enforcement of these “bans” potentially violating the Eighth Amendment.