Sixth Street Shelter Program of Community Action Lehigh Valley

Mission Statement

Community Action Lehigh Valley administers programs that meet basic social needs while encouraging self-sufficiency. We establish partnerships with community organizations, local government, and the private sector as we advance the economic and community development of low-income neighborhoods. Our mission is to improve the quality of life in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas by building a community in which all people have access to economic opportunity, the ability to pursue that opportunity, and a voice in the decisions that affect their lives. Our areas of impact include: advocacy; business start-up and development; food access and nutrition; housing; neighborhood revitalization; and youth. The Sixth Street Shelter, a program of Community Action, assists families experiencing homelessness secure safe housing through family-centered services, in-house programming, and referrals to community resources while advocating that affordable housing is a human right.

About Sixth Street Shelter

Located in Center City Allentown, the Sixth Street Shelter provides safe, short-term housing for low-income families with at least one child under the age of 18 experiencing homelessness. The property has 25 private apartments, a Family Resource Center, playground, and full-choice food pantry for residents. The Sixth Street Shelter is unique because it is the only shelter in the area where entire families of any configuration (including those with fathers and teenaged boys, multi-generational families, and those from the LGBTQ+ community) stay together in their own private apartments.

For many families, the stay at the Sixth Street Shelter enables them to begin to stabilize their income and address the problems that led to their homelessness. The families who come to the Shelter do so for a variety of reasons: low-paying jobs, lack of affordable housing, mental and/or physical health crises, domestic violence, and lack of access to reliable transportation, healthcare, and/or childcare. The Shelter provides each family with a fully furnished apartment and supportive services, including individualized case management. Staff work to connect them with the necessary resources to address their individual needs, such as financial literacy and parenting classes, access to childcare and healthcare, and mental health support. During their residency, the family develops a Family Service Plan with their caseworker, setting household, budgeting, educational, and vocational goals and seeking suitable housing and employment.