- dchevalier02
Completion of the Sixth Street Shelter Expansion to be Celebrated by Donors, Volunteers, and Communi
The Sixth Street Shelter is hosting an open house on Thursday, November 21, at 3:30 PM, to celebrate the completion of a six-month construction project to expand the shelter. The event will be held in the new building at 223 North Sixth Street in Allentown. Speakers will include the Rev. Dr. Tony Sundermeier, lead pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Allentown, Clyde Holman, deputy secretary of the office of community affairs and development at the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and others. Guests can tour the new building following the formal program.
The Community Action Lehigh Valley, which operates the shelter, purchased a blighted building adjacent to the current shelter campus in December, 2010. That building was razed to make way for a new building containing five apartments, an office and common space. The expansion will allow the shelter to serve an additional 30 families each year.
The general contractor on the project was Jerdon Construction Services LLC.
The expansion is the first increase in shelter capacity in the Lehigh Valley in more than twenty years. It was made possible through the generosity of many donors, volunteers, and community partners. Approximately 22% of the funding came from PA DCED, with the rest coming from private donors.
The Sixth Street Shelter, the largest shelter for families with children in the region, was established in 1984 to provide 60 days of shelter and an array of services designed to assist families with children to make the transition from the crisis of homelessness to stability. The shelter also operates two long-term transitional housing programs in Allentown and Easton to support families who are pursuing an educational or vocational goal as they move toward self-sufficiency.
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