Metro

A new Blair County-based nonprofit hopes to improve the homelessness problem in the area.

Healthy Community Living plans to develop a “continuum of housing” designed to help homeless people progress step-by-step to housing stability, according to President Ken Dean, speaking after a recent meeting of the Blair County Prison Reentry Coalition, of which he is director.

“It’s very needed,” Dean said. “I think we’re going to be able to help a lot of people move through (their challenges), instead of being stuck.”

The group intends to develop a pair of facilities: one for temporary housing, where residents learn basic living skills, and another to which they can graduate for permanent housing, according to Dean.

Both facilities will be in repurposed buildings that will be owned by the organization, he said.

Renovations are underway for the temporary housing facility, said Dean, who added that he isn’t sure of the status of the permanent housing site.

“We’re hoping to get things going next month,” he said. “We’ll start at the beginning very slowly.”

The life skills to be taught at the facility for temporary living will include how to be a good renter, how to pay bills and how to cook, Dean said.

When a “plateau” is reached that indicates that it’s time to move on, the resident will transfer to the permanent housing facility — although individual case management will continue there, Dean said.

The hope is that the effort will benefit both homeless individuals, no matter where they are in the “spectrum” of homelessness, and the community at large, Dean said.

An executive director will lead the effort, he said.

The organization is working deliberately to ensure that it’s covering all the bases and doing everything the right way, Dean said.

Healthy Community Living is part of Blair Health Choices, an organization that contracts with the state Department of Human Services to administer managed care insurance that covers behavioral health issues for Medicaid recipients in Blair County, according to Dean and the Blair Health Choices website.

Headquartered in Hollidaysburg, Healthy Community Living initially filed for incorporation with the Department of State in March 2024, according to the Department of State website.