Joe Welsh, Executive Director of the Lehigh Valley Justice Institute, knows a little bit about Easton. He worked there as Easton Business Administrator. He practiced law there. He lived (and may still live) there. So when he speaks about that City, it would be wise for people, especially those who come from outside the area, to listen. In a letter to Easton Housing Authority (EHA) under the Lehigh Valley Justice Institute's banner, Joe condemns a recent attempt by the EHA to demand $16,000 a month in rent, up from the current $1. This gambit is the work of EHA's Executive Director Tyler Martin, a recent Philly transplant. Welsh slams Martin for wanting to enrich absentee landlords on the backs of Easton's children. He calls this shortsighted idea "Robin Hood in Reverse."
Easton's Boys and Girls Club has existed since 1974, and served 463 children during 2020-21. It's after school meal program provided 3,422 dinners. Its summer meal program provided. 922 breakfasts, 2,732 lunches and 2,652 snacks. It runs seven different programs, from sports and fitness to lexia reading. Its goal is to help all children reach their full potential as "productive, caring, responsible citizens."
It has served as a stopgap from a sad "school to prison" pipeline affecting many disadvantaged youth. It pretty much stopped the racial violence that plagued Easton in the early '70s. It instead has produced role models like Kenny Brown, who is currently Easton City Council VP.
What Martin is proposing would pretty much be the death knell for one of the most positive programs in the Lehigh Valley.
Below is Joe's letter.
LVJI Letter to Easton Housing Authority by BernieOHare on Scribd
