Will recent cuts in funding force the closure of the Emergency Family Shelter in Gettysburg?  What would the impact of a closure be on area social services?  What can be done to better address the problem of homelessness in Adams County?

To address these and other questions, Gettysburg Democracy for America welcomes Megan Shreve, Director of SCCAP, and CARES board member Chris Kellet to the auditorium in Valentine Hall at the United Lutheran Seminary on Wednesday, April 3 at 7:00 PM. 

“SCCAP is trying to figure out how to keep our Emergency Family Shelter open despite the 74% cut to shelter funding, but that may not be possible,” according  to Shreve. “Our community must figure out how we will deal with homelessness. The real answer is housing, but with so little affordable housing available, it is likely that we will see more homeless families not less until we, as a community, figure this out.”

The closure of the shelter, or further cuts to its ability to serve the community, could have a severe impact. "If SCCAP closes its doors, our community is in a pickle,”  commented CARES board member Kellet. Drawing on support from area churches, Gettysburg CARES provides cold weather shelter and a Resource Center for its guests. “CARES has been running full since the first of the year,” Kellet continued. “If the SCCAP shelter is forced to cut services further, we are not sure how we will cope.” 

Information on what area residents can do to help address these issues will be provided in a discussion following the presentation.