For over 55 years, Community Homes of Lebanon County has served primarily seniors and people with disabilities as their key constituents. But times change, and so have we.
With the first eight units of our new Canal Street Affordable Housing Project now open, half of the eight handicap-friendly resident units are home to people with homeless backgrounds.
Our eyes have been opened to the plight of homeless people across our nation. While we take for granted the good fortune of living in the comfort of a home with a roof overhead, over a half million of us cope with the problem of homelessness.
In their book When We Walk By, co-authors Kenin F. Adler and Donald W. Burnes explain a “recognition” problem. They point out that too many of us categorize people experiencing homelessness as something akin to a colony of “lepers.” There is a dramatic lack of communication between the “housed” and the “unhoused” populations.
The book blends case histories and statistically backed evidence that urges us to open communication between the two groups. This tactic is essential in addressing the problem; job loss, poor health, and working for a below-cost-of-living wage are just a few ways one can become homeless. We need to know and understand more.
With the help of our staff, our Board of Directors, generous individuals, and local businesses and corporations, we are planning to add 15 more units to our Canal Street Affordable Housing Project in the next few years. It is a drop in the bucket in the broader spectrum of the problem of homelessness. But it is something we can do to take a small step to address the solution to this growing problem.
For more information about Community Homes of Lebanon, visit www.communityhomespa.org or call 717-273-1711 x 100.
Community Homes of Lebanon Valley, in partnership with others, provides housing, related facilities, and supportive services so that each person, whose life we touch, may realize more fully his or her potential for physical, social, and spiritual well-being.
