Join us for a Panel Discussion and Conversation:

From Homeless to Housing: Seeking Solutions for Our Community

Sponsored by Brit Olam and Lifelong Learning Committees

Jewish Law envisions a society in which everyone will have a home. Yet as we know from our work with Family Promise, many of our neighbors in the Lehigh Valley are just one missed paycheck away from being without a place to call home or to put their children safely to bed.

Many others go without secure housing for long periods of time. But this isn’t someone else’s issue.  Homelessness affects us all.  Homelessness strains our healthcare, criminal justice, and emergency systems and affects children’s education, health and overall development. 

As of January 2025, according to HUD, there were 538 unsheltered people in Lehigh and Northampton Counties. This number more than doubles when the hidden homeless are included: those families sleeping in cars, hotels and on floors, many in fear that their children will be taken away.  And the number is growing.

Why are homelessness and housing insecurity such persistent problems? How can we make a difference today? And how can we move toward our vision of a community in which each of us has a home?

Please join us for a panel discussion and conversation to discuss the ripple effect of homelessness in our community, its root causes and what is needed for short term and long-term systemic solutions.   

Panelists:

• Ce-Ce Gerlach – Allentown City Council
• Julio Guridy – Executive Director, Allentown Housing Authority
• Marc Rittle – Executive Director, New Bethany Ministries
• Rosyln Kuba – Executive Director, Family Promise
• Jonathan Strauss, Principal, Cortex Residential Affordable Housing and Investment Development Company 

Light refreshments will be provided. 

Registration, available below, is required as seating is limited.