HAZLETON, Pa. — On South Wyoming Street in Hazleton is the Willow Foundation's Heartwood Center. It's a daytime shelter available for those experiencing homelessness, food insecurity, and other issues.
"You come here, you could get your breakfast, you get your coffee, you can look online for resources and see what's available to you. So, it's nice to come in and be able to do that," said Katy Bohlig of Hazleton.
Locals and leaders in Hazleton were invited for lunch on Wednesday.
"We invited the community leaders, police departments, fire departments, city council, just to see come visit the center, see what we're doing here. And just let them know that there is a need in Hazleton for more support for our center so we can continue to support those individuals that are experiencing homelessness," said Tamear Henegain, the center's coordinator.
Henegain says the need for the center has grown dramatically in the last 14 months.
"We're seeing the increase from last year from about 25 to 30 individuals to about 50. Yesterday, we served 50 individuals," he explained.
The point of the luncheon was to communicate the need for more resources to those in a position to create them. Something folks say is desperately needed is a transitional housing center where clients can stay, learn life skills, and access resources full-time.
"It's awful walking in here, but at the same time, it's like if something becomes available, she'll be like, 'Oh, hey, that job called,' or 'Hey, this person called,' so like, we don't have that out on the street," explained Bohlig. "We'd have to walk around trying to find it. But if there was something available, we could shower, come in, and we get our resources a different way rather than having to come off the street."
Organizers say they were happy with the turnout at the luncheon and hope to host another one in the future.