Letter to the editor: Emergency housing in Westmoreland County woefully inadequate

Westmoreland County is in dire need of emergency housing. Currently, there are only 69 emergency beds in the county for those with mental health issues, homeless juveniles and women dealing with domestic violence, in a county with a population of approximately 365,000. These beds are only available for 30 days, and the waitlist for Section 8 housing in the county is 10 years, which means that many of those in dire need will never get the help they need to receive decent and safe housing.

Some funds allocated to the county by the American Rescue Plan for covid relief must be targeted to address these needs.

At the county commissioners’ town hall meeting Dec. 16, Voice of Westmoreland members made direct appeals to Commissioners Sean Kertes, Gina Cerilli Thrasher and Doug Chew to include appropriations for an increase in emergency housing in the county as a moral issue of the highest priority. Surrounding counties with similar populations have an emergency capacity ranging from 200 to 600 beds, an indication of the deficiency of this resource in our county.

The commissioners need to take this issue seriously to help county residents AND DO THE RIGHT THING.

Charmaine Strong

Greensburg

The writer is a member of Voice of Westmoreland.