An independent news publication of
United Way of Lancaster County

Search

‘Conversations on a Bench’: Water Street Mission’s Jack Crowley stays outside to raise awareness of homelessness

Water Street Executive Director Jack Crowley, left, talks with Lancaster County Commissioner Alice Yoder during “Conversations on a Bench,” on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (Photo: Tim Stuhldreher)

Around 3 p.m. Wednesday, Jack Crowley adjusted himself on the bench he was sitting on and addressed the video camera a few feet away.

“I’m going to be here for the next 24 hours,” he explained to his online audience.

Crowley is the president of the faith-based Lancaster nonprofit Water Street Mission, whose core services include an emergency shelter and a day shelter and a residential program designed to foster self-sufficiency.

To raise awareness of homelessness he was planning to remain on the bench —located outside the mission’s Compass Young Adult Ministry at 131 S. Prince St., just north of its main campus — overnight until 3 p.m. Thursday, which is World Homeless Day.

The event was titled “Conversations on a Bench.” Joining Crowley for 15-minute and 30-minute sessions is an array of media outlets, local government officials, nonprofit leaders church pastors and other individuals engaged with the issue. Through a setup put together by local media company Stray, Water Street was able to livestream the proceedings on its web page, YouTube channel and Facebook page.

Crowley’s scheduled guests include Mayor Danene Sorace, City Councilwoman Janet Diaz, Lancaster County Homelessness Coalition Director Deb Jones and Dr. Jeff Martin of Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health. Nonprofit representatives include Shelby Nauman of Tenfold, Paige McFarling of Lancaster County Food Hub and Kate Zimmerman of United Way of Lancaster County.

Other members of the community are welcome to stop by, and can be fit in as time permits, Crowley said.

His aim is not to emulate the experience of people who are involuntarily homeless, he said. Rather, he said he wants to “have good conversations and “hopefully open some eyes and some minds and ultimately open some hearts to the needs in our community.”

Jack Crowley and Commissioner Alice Yoder share a laugh during the interview. (Photo: Tim Stuhldreher)

On Wednesday afternoon, the conversations kicked off with county Commissioner Alice Yoder, formerly the director of community health for Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health. Crowley and Yoder reminisced about LG Health’s support for Water Street Mission’s health clinic, set up in the early 1990s.

Since then, the demographics of homelessness have broadened, Crowley said. There are more young people showing up at shelters, and more people in their 60s and 70s who are newly homeless. Many seniors are struggling to make ends meet, and a single medical emergency or similar unexpected expense can be enough to push them over the brink.

Yoder said the county is trying to do more to connect and coordinate homelessness service providers, local governments and other stakeholders. It intends to work with them to develop a countywide strategic plan, a process that will kick off shortly, she said.

Jack Crowley talks with City Councilman Jaime Arroyo. (Photo: Tim Stuhldreher)

Crowley’s second guest, City Councilman Jaime Arroyo, likewise highlighted the importance of collaboration. The city is a “focal point” for homelessness and homelessness services, he and Crowley agreed, but it’s an issue countywide and long-term partnerships are needed to address it.

Homelessness in Lancaster County has increased significantly since the pandemic, as it has in much of the country. In January, the county’s annual Point in Time Count tabulated 597 homeless individuals, up 13.5% over 2023 and the highest level since 2010.

One factor is the gap between wages and rents; the county has an acute shortage of housing affordable to people at the lower end of the earnings spectrum. There is also a shortage of shelter space, transitional housing, mental health and substance abuse treatment and other resources to help homeless individuals stabilize and progress into permanent housing, Jones, the Homelessness Coalition’s director, told the Hourglass Foundation this summer.

(Photo: Tim Stuhldreher)