Tamaqua Mayor Christian Morrison raised concerns about the borough's homeless population at Tuesday night's council meeting.

"There are people out there that don't have a place to stay," he said. "It's not something that Small Town America is used to dealing with. Our police department isn't set up to take them in. St. Luke's isn't equipped to take them on."Morrison said officials anticipated as many as 10 people would show up to register as homeless at the Salvation Army last week. Five did.Police Chief Rick Weaver said there are currently four homeless people in Tamaqua."There were others, but they have gotten back on their feet," Weaver said.Several members of the audience suggested fundraising on their behalf and asked if the area churches are involved in providing aid.Morrison said that as awareness grows, hopefully more help will become available.Schuylkill County Commissioners have released a homeless resource guide, which has been distributed to all county agencies and is available online at

www.schuylkillcommunityaction.com.The guide lists numerous places where hot food, clothing, shelter and referral services are available to those in need.But that isn't quite enough according to Maj. Sharon Whispell of the Tamaqua Salvation Army."People become homeless for a variety of reasons, including fires, lost jobs, major illnesses. Most are just looking for a temporary hand up, not a hand out," she said.Whispell said the Army does what it can to help, but doesn't have the resources needed to provide help for more than a day or two, or to do more than transport a person to shelters in Pottsville or Allentown.She also says it's not just a question of throwing money at the problem."It's complicated. There are state and federal regulations that must be followed. Local laws, such as zoning ordinances, that come into play. But, more can be done. There is a definite need in Tamaqua for temporary lodging, even if it's just a night shelter," Whispell said.And, some homeless people choose to stay on the streets due to mental illness or drug problems.Other businessMichael G. Wester was hired as a full-time water treatment plant trainee at a pay rate of $19.22 per hour.Hired Adam Sinton as a part-time police officer at $17 per hour.Voted to advertise for seasonal employees for the Howard D. Buehler Memorial Pool.Several residents raised concerns about drug activity in the South Ward area.Council President Micah Gursky urged residents to continue to report suspicious activities to the police department.Tamaqua Fire Chief Tom Hartz announced the fire department has received personal smoke detectors that are free for residents.The only stipulation is that the alarms must be installed by the fire department.Kathy Kunkelcontributed to this report.