Pa. shelters adapt to risks of COVID-19 as winter surge continues
By
Alanna Elder, WITFDecember 31, 2020
A mural created by artist Nile Livingston was installed at 17th and Vine streets along with a public hand washing station meant for people who are living with housing instability. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
In mid-December, Hope Rescue Mission in Reading installed three trailers on its property for people who test positive for COVID-19 and have nowhere else to quarantine. The option is only available to men, and its zoning will only last 60 days.
Executive Director Robert Turchi said early in the pandemic, hotels were meeting this need.
READING, Pa. - Homeless people in Berks County face uncertainty of where they will find their next meal, fear of spending frigid winter nights outside and, in these times, almost nowhere to go if they test positive for COVID-19. Having them on the street or having them bunk up in someone s house or sleep on someone s couch, it s not a safe alternative for them or any family and friends they choose to kind of pair up with, said Modesto Fiume, executive director of Opportunity House in Reading.
County leaders have joined forces with Opportunity House and the Hope Rescue Mission to protect their fellow man.