Concerned about a predicted post-holiday coronavirus surge, the Luzerne County Cares Commission will likely postpone a major event it planned in January for those struggling with homelessness and substance use disorder.
“The last thing we want to do is hurt or make someone sick when we’re actually trying to help them,” commission Chairman Matthew Vough, a county councilman, said during a virtual meeting Tuesday night.
Scheduled for Jan. 23, the “Luzerne County Resource Day” was organized to provide food, clothing and access to local services that can help those in need with education, employment, counseling, housing and other essentials.
Vough said he is “very worried” COVID-19 will still be prevalent on that date and has reservations about exposing a vulnerable population that includes many without health insurance.
Other volunteers serving on the commission agreed postponement may be the best option.
Commission member Justin Behrens said health experts are “expecting a surge on top of a surge.”
The Luzerne County Community College had agreed to provide free use of its auditorium in Nanticoke for the event.
Nicole Ferentino, also a commission member, said the venue is spacious, but it could “pose a huge safety risk” if crowds simultaneously arrive.
Council Vice Chairman Chris Perry, who was hospitalized for COVID-19 this fall, told fellow commission members he believes they should “err on the side of caution.”
“We’re doing a good thing here, and we don’t want to be criticized for doing something good in these trying times,” Perry said.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen, but it can’t be good in a couple of weeks. It’s not going to be good,” Perry said of case expectations.
Behrens stressed the organization he oversees — the Keystone Mission — will continue to provide outreach services to the homeless in Wilkes-Barre and Scranton throughout the winter.
His organization already received numerous donations of food and gently used clothing and blankets for the Luzerne County Resource Day, and residents can continue to drop off items at the mission, located at 290 Parkview Circle in Wilkes-Barre.
Commission member Kendra Radle, a county councilwoman, said one of the agencies she contacted about attending the Jan. 23 event indicated it is not participating in such activities during the pandemic.
More agencies may be comfortable attending if the event is held in the spring, she said. The commission decided to include providers to help people who are in need and unaware of their services.
Marcella Garvin said the population she and other commission members are attempting to help “might be better served” if the event is delayed.
Postponement to warmer months also may allow the event to be held outdoors at Kirby Park in Wilkes-Barre, which would be in walking distance for those in the county seat without transportation, Garvin said. The public bus route to the community college is not direct and takes about a half hour, she said.
County courts also will primarily remain closed through Feb. 26, Garvin noted, adding that holding an event in January would be “kind of flying in the face of what the county is doing.”
Saying safety must come first, commission member Amanda Blaine advocated moving the event to April or May and considering the Kirby Park option.
Vough said he will reach out to the community college about the likely change in plans, saying he wants the institution to remain involved in the event, even if it is held elsewhere.
With an April/May date, the food and clothing distribution portion of the event could be held outside if it remains at the community college, leaving the indoor space for service providers, Behrens said.
After months of planning, the discussion about postponement was disappointing, Vough said.
“I’m just sad, but it’s definitely the right thing to do,” he told his commission colleagues.
Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.