Monroe County Commissioners held a public hearing Wednesday on the Homeless Assistance Program and Human Services Development Program Grants.

Jen Strauch presented the Homeless Assistance and Human Services Development Fund request.

In presenting the need for financial assistance for people in Monroe County who struggle with mental health and developmental issues, she talked about how the system is structured.

“The Joinder Board is Carbon-Monroe-Pike Mental Health and Developmental Services governing body. The Joinder Board comprises county commissioners from Carbon, Monroe, and Pike counties and meets regularly throughout the year,” she explained.

Strauch said each county administers the Homeless Assistance Program and the Human Services Development Fund program.

The Monroe County Fiscal Affairs Office, administers the Human Services Department funding. It must complete a human services plan for these two components in the Homeless Assistance Program.

“We plan to help 517 individuals, who will be served through Poconos area transitional housing, which will provide short-term housing and support services to homeless families in Monroe County,” she said.

Strauch is clear the primary goal of Pocono Area Transitional Housing is for participants to obtain and maintain permanent housing.

After receiving counseling on personal finance, employment, education, job training, and doing a housing search, 477 people will receive emergency shelter services from Women’s Resources of Monroe County, the Salvation Army, and Family Promise of Monroe County.

Women’s Resources participants receive counseling services to help them plan for future safety, become educated about community services, and learn problem solving skills.

Strauch said they plan to serve 446 people, and of those people, 34 adults are blind or visually impaired, requiring escorted transportation services to medical appointments, food shopping, and agency services.

Twelve people with mental health and developmental issues are assisted by Pike, Carbon, and Monroe Counties Development services.

“These people will also need assistance with securing housing,” she said.

Through Pocono services for families and children, family advocates served 400 children.

When Commissioner John Christie asked Strauch if affordable housing was more manageable now than before the pandemic, she replied, “No, less. Affordable housing is few and far between,” she said.

Commissioner John Moyer asked if the statistics on the number of homeless people in Monroe County was accurate.

She said, “I do not have those numbers with me. I do know that it was not a requirement by the state to make the Point in Time count because of COVID-19.

“We could only count those people who were in shelter programs. So we don’t believe that it was a really accurate count of those who are literally homeless and on the streets. So the PIT count, I would say, is a little bit unreliable this year because of COVID.”