YMCA works with local groups to shelter homeless through the storm

YMCA works with local groups to shelter homeless through the storm

By Chloe Nouvelle

February 2, 2021

When the snow piles up, most people stay home, except for those who don’t have a home.

Local organizations are doing all they can to help the Lehigh Valley’s homeless population find a place that’s warm and dry and not just for the night.

Dave Fagerstrom runs the Greater Valley YMCA where he helps manage the Y’s overnight shelter. 

“The needs of the homeless don’t stop when there’s a storm. As a matter of fact, you can almost say they’re increased sometimes,” Fagerstrom says. 

The YMCA is working with Ripple Community Inc., an Allentown based non-profit that helps the homeless, and the Y is also staying open longer to make sure no one ends up out in the cold.

“We’ve got to work together to make sure that the services that we have for the homeless in the Valley don’t fall through the cracks somehow,” Fagerstrom says. 

The snow is also causing staffing shortages, he says, so the Y’s warming station has temporarily relocated men and women to the Allentown Rescue Mission, which is open 24/7.

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