Easton Service Organizations Struggling

Safe Harbor may be safe, but service organizations in Easton say there's still a storm on the horizon.

Earlier this month, the city's homeless shelter announced it would continue to operate, starting Oct. 1. At the same time, the organization said it would still need community support to keep running. 

Now, other service organizations are sending out the same message.

"This crisis presents an opportunity to remind the Easton community that we have a human services infrastructure in place and it is in dire need of support,” said Director Janice Komisor. “What isn’t broken, people don’t see, but Safe Harbor’s safety net has a hole in it.”

ProJeCt of Easton works with more than 5,000 people per year and is also feeling the strain of reduced funding. ProJeCt provides emergency assistance as well as language and literacy programs with the goal of helping individuals and families achieve self sufficiency.

“We contribute to the quality of life here,” Komisor said.

Kim Kmetz, manager of the Easton Main Street Initiative, spoke of the delicate balance required to provide residents, merchants and visitors with an environment comfortable for everyone.

“It’s a challenge in a town that is the county seat,” Kmetz said. “People are drawn here because these services are available.”

With two paid staff and 50-60 volunteers, Main Street Initiative works to sustain the economic vitality of downtown Easton. Kmetz noted that an important part of this effort is making people feel the town is clean and safe.

“People on the street may not be a threat, but they may appear that way. It’s very important not only to residents and business owners but also to visitors who bring in revenue that these people are helped and get the assistance and guidance they need to improve their situation.”

All organizations are feeling the impact of funding reductions.

“Funding is leaking in every direction. All organizations are asking the same people for help,” Komisor said. “We are all links in a chain and if one link is broken, each organization’s ability to serve is stressed.”

Easton Mayor Sal Panto addressed the issue at the most recent city coucil meeting.

"As the federal government balances its budget on domestic discretionary spending, more and more services are being required of local government," Panto said.

"As more and more federal funding is cut, state funding follows, trickling down to local governments, which are asked to do more."

Many organizations are turning to the city for help, but the city is struggling with its own budget constraints. Tough decisions have to be made.

ProJeCt’s Komisor stated that the quality of life for the entire Easton community will suffer as the social service organizations continue to experience cuts. She suggested an infrastructure is needed to synchronize efforts among all organizations. 

“The work we do is invisible because we fix so many problems. If a shelter like goes away, it creates a lot more issues, but we all need help,” Komisor said. “Random acts of kindness don’t solve this problem anymore. We need a coordinated effort.”