Summit set to seek strategies for reducing homelessness in Westmoreland County

Shelters in Westmoreland County were providing a roof and a bed for 74 homeless people in January, an increase from 56 people a year earlier.

Those figures need to be expanded to represent all local people who are struggling with housing instability, according to Toni Antonucci, a committee member of the Westmoreland Housing Alliance Team.

That team of human service organizations, county departments and stakeholders is organizing an inaugural Aug. 1 summit, a free event on the main campus of Westmoreland County Community College that is meant to address homelessness and housing instability.

“We want to bring everyone to the table — program funders, landlords, state and local officials and people with lived (homeless) experience — to understand the true issues and the barriers and how folks can truly solve this,” said Antonucci. “Everyone needs to understand everyone’s point of view, and then we can make a dent in this.”

Homelessness can mean more than living in a car, a makeshift camp or a shelter, Antonucci said.

She noted the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development recognizes various categories of homelessness, including: someone who is at imminent risk of homelessness; someone who hasn’t had a lease or permanent housing in the last 60 days; and someone who is fleeing or attempting to flee from domestic violence.

“Sleeping on a friend’s couch is a version of homelessness,” Antonucci said.

That’s something she experienced temporarily, in the wake of a divorce in 2010.

“I couch-surfed for three weeks before I had a rental I could move into,” she said. “I was actually homeless, but I never would have classified myself as homeless.

“My housing at that point was unstable. Most of my stuff was in my car, and I had furnishings in a storage unit.”

For many others, Antonucci said, “Housing instability encompasses a number of challenges, such as having trouble paying rent, overcrowding, moving frequently, or spending the bulk of household income on housing. These experiences may negatively affect physical health and make it harder to access health care.”

Housing stability is critical in landing a job, said Antonucci, who is the director of advancement and development at Westmoreland Community Action, an agency that provides services for those with a low income.

“On the job application, they want an address,” she said. “If you don’t have one, it’s a problem.”

The housing summit is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the WCCC Events Center in Hempfield.

It will include listening sessions, where people are welcome to share their experiences with housing programs and their thoughts on how to improve them.

“They are the ones we really need to listen to in order to constantly improve housing services throughout the county,” said Dan Carney, a member of the Housing Alliance Team’s governance committee and executive director of the Union Mission, a faith-based organization that operates a shelter for men near Latrobe.

He noted the Housing Alliance Team will be transitioning later this year into an organization formally affiliated with county government, a Homeless Advisory Board.

“It should be the same providers participating,” Carney said of the new board. “It will serve to provide input, guidance and data.”

At the summit, there will be an exercise where participants will be asked to think about realistic changes that could be made to the housing system in Westmoreland County in the next 100 days.

Those attending will be able to choose from break-out sessions, at 10:30 a.m. and 1:15 p.m., on topics including “Resetting Landlord Engagement.”

Breakfast refreshments and a buffet lunch will be offered.

Those planning to attend are asked to RSVP. Visit eventbrite.com and search for Westmoreland Housing Alliance.

For more information, call Westmoreland Community Action at 724-834-1260.