Luzerne County Council discussing proposals to help homeless families and disabled veterans

Programs to help homeless families and veterans are up for discussion at Tuesday’s Luzerne County Council work session, according to the agenda.

County Children, Youth and Families (CYF) is working with outside entities to find housing for homeless families — a problem that has increased largely due to rising rents for privately-owned apartments and waiting lists for public housing, said county Human Services Division Head Megan Stone.

Stone said she’s observed one-bedroom, non-luxury apartments listed at $1,500 per month in the county, and larger ones with two or more bedrooms needed for those with children are more expensive and out of reach for many.

“That’s the struggle,” Stone said.

According to Tuesday’s agenda, council will discuss a proposed memorandum of understanding between the county and Nanticoke UAW Housing Co. that would provide some housing preference at its 76-unit Eastside Apartments complex in Nanticoke to homeless families referred by the county agency.

Eastside Apartments is owned and operated by the Region Nine Housing Corporation, a nonprofit that was founded by members of Region 9 of the United Auto Workers in 1970 to provide subsidized housing to low-income families, seniors and those with disabilities, according to online information.

The memorandum on Tuesday’s agenda would provide housing preference to county-referred families for every fifth vacancy that occurs at the complex, the agenda said.

Eastside Apartments receives funding through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the agenda said.

In the last year, county CYF has received referrals from 532 families seeking assistance with housing-related issues, the agency said.

County officials had previously approved a homeless housing project with the nonprofit Keystone Mission that would have provided $312,400 in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to lease and remodel space to create apartments for four homeless families in Wilkes-Barre.

However, Stone said that is no longer a feasible option for her agency because the rent that had been presented would be too high for families seeking assistance through county CYF.

Justin Behrens, who oversees the Keystone Mission, said the homeless housing apartment project is still being completed regardless of whether county CYF participates. He said Keystone Mission will use its own funds to finish the project, noting his nonprofit did not receive the full American Rescue allocation from the county.

Behrens previously served as Keystone Mission executive director and said he returned in an unpaid capacity about a month ago because the oversight position was vacant.

The apartments will be in a leased building at 64 E. Union Street in the Thomas C. Thomas complex in Wilkes-Barre. Keystone Mission already leases space in an adjacent structure at the complex for its Innovation Center for Homeless and Poverty at 90 E. Union St.

Behrens said the homeless count is dramatically increasing. His facility had approximately 40 to 50 people when he first returned a month ago, and the number seeking shelter is now in the 100 to 120 range, he said. The lion’s share are from Northeastern Pennsylvania and not other states, he added.

“I don’t have room for all these people,” Behrens said.

He expressed a determination to return to a “solution focused” approach that will require those seeking help to obtain skills to support themselves.

Veterans

In the program for veterans, the county is considering expanding a real estate property tax exemption program for all honorably discharged military veterans permanently disabled in the line of duty.

The exemption is currently available only to veterans disabled during a period of war.

Prior county veteran affairs director James Spagnola had pushed for the program last year, citing increasing statewide discussion about the unfairness of excluding veterans who are 100% disabled due to their service solely because they were not enlisted during a war.

Attorneys at the state determined counties have the ability to grant the exemption without the wartime requirement, and a few counties already implemented the change, including neighboring Lackawanna County, he had said.

As of last year, approximately 763 Luzerne County veterans were participating in the tax exemption because they served during wartime.

The state requires veterans to be “100% total and permanently disabled” and meet annual income limits to receive an exemption, officials have said.

Work session details

Council must vote on work session items at a future meeting for them to take effect.

Tuesday’s work session follows a 6 p.m. voting meeting at the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre.

Instructions for the remote attendance option are posted under council’s public online meetings link at luzernecounty.org.