You have to understand the nuances of our community versus other communities and the history of ‘nimby-ism’ and all of those things,” she said. Lewis said she was under the impression it would involve a “select group of people to participate, to really drill down and find some action steps.”īut when Lewis logged on that day, she saw dozens of faces on her computer screen, many of whom she soon realized didn’t have the level of background knowledge that she had. “We’ve had active participation from the members of the task force, and we’ve brought a lot of people to the table who maybe hadn’t been at that table before,” Lawrence said.įor Heather Lewis, a Norristown resident who also serves as vice president of the municipal council, the task force wasn’t what she expected. Members also participated in breakout sessions to determine possible preliminary solutions.
The Zoom session offered contextual information about homelessness and housing programs. The group held its inaugural meeting virtually on April 24. “I think if nothing else thus far, the task force has raised the visibility of that, and I’m looking forward as we continue to work towards getting a report on some solutions on what we need countywide.” Getting started “It’s an issue that many times that people don’t want to discuss if they don’t have to see that,” Lawrence said. Lawrence said his ultimate goal is shedding needed light on something sometimes hidden, and previously not as much discussed. That’s why I’d like to get people around a table to talk about these solutions,” Lawrence said in a February interview. After announcing he would not seek re-election this fall, Lawrence said he wanted to turn his attention to the issue of homelessness in what he deemed the best use of his remaining time on the governing board. The idea to form a task force originated from Montgomery County Commissioners Chairman Ken Lawrence Jr. 30 inside One Montgomery Plaza in downtown Norristown. Lawrence hatches plan for homelessness task force Montgomery County Commissioners’ Chairman Ken Lawrence Jr. “There’s a crisis of affordable housing, and there’s a crisis of available … emergency shelter (space), and that has led to a crisis in street homelessness,” said Mark Boorse, a task force member and Access Services’ director of program development. They’ve come together as the issue of homelessness in the state’s third most populous county appears to have hit a breaking point. The 46-member body is made up of a mix of community members, those who’ve previously experienced homelessness, as well as others coming from advocacy, education, government, and religious spaces, according to documents.
NORRISTOWN - A task force convened this spring to take steps to tackling homelessness in Montgomery County.
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