Mayor Danene Sorace declared a state of emergency on Friday “regarding housing and shelter for homeless individuals in the city of Lancaster.”
The declaration allows the city to waive certain regulatory procedures and requirements in order to expedite the opening of the 50-bed emergency shelter that Tenfold is planning at 308 E. King St.
Announced this week, the shelter is scheduled to open Monday and operate for up to three months.
Normally, the project would require a zoning variance and other city approvals. Sorace’s declaration allows the city to waive “any zoning requirements” and provide “any other regulatory relief … which would otherwise prevent or delay” the shelter’s opening.
Tenfold’s shelter is intended to serve as a stopgap until the opening of the long-planned 80-bed permanent low-barrier emergency shelter at Otterbein United Methodist Church, 20 E. Clay St. It is under construction and officials say it is on track to open in December. They plan to start with 40 beds, then ramp up to 80 over the course of the first few weeks.
The Otterbein shelter succeeds a low-barrier shelter that operated from mid-2020 until the end of June. For most of its history, it had 40 beds, which was expanded to 80 over the 2023-24 winter season, then back to 40.
In the months since its closure, outreach workers have struggled to help unsheltered individuals find a safe place to sleep. City and county officials are no longer allowing encampments around the County Government Center or in Binns Park. Outside the city, at least three encampments have been shut down in recent weeks.
“There is a critical shortage of shelter space and an immediate need for additional beds to serve the city’s homeless population,” city spokeswoman Amber Strazzo said.
Under the Third Class City Code, an emergency declaration lapses after five days unless City Council extends it. City Council will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. Monday to take up the matter, council President Amanda Bakay said. Its regularly scheduled committee meetings will follow immediately.
If City Council approves the declaration, it will last until the new shelter is operational or the end of January, whichever is sooner.
