MONROE UNFILTERED: THE DAILY BUZZ | Sept. 28
Special Report: Homelessness in Monroe
Monday, September 28, 2026
Subscribe free: monroeunfiltered.substack.com
THE WEEK'S WEATHER
The Nor'easter Is Leaving, Slowly. Showers this morning, mostly done by afternoon, with a high in the mid-60s.
Then the Week Turns Into a Gift. Mostly sunny and near 70°F Tuesday, mid-70s Wednesday, and around 80°F Thursday, the warmest day of the week. Friday stays warm (upper 70s to around 80) with a chance of an afternoon shower, and Saturday cools to the upper 60s. Nights run mostly in the 50s.
Pro Tip: Clean out the coat closet this week. Cold-weather shelter season starts Nov. 1, and today's Special Report tells you where to drop things off.
MONROE UNFILTERED SPECIAL REPORT: HOMELESSNESS
Today we're giving the top of the Buzz to one issue: who is homeless in Monroe County, why the need for help has doubled, and what actually works. Plus, one man's story from under the bridge, in his own words.
PART 1: DEMAND FOR HELP HAS DOUBLED
Monroe County's homeless population is small by national standards, in the low hundreds. The number of people asking for help is not.
Why it matters: Street2Feet, the county's only daytime shelter and outreach center for homeless adults, has served more than 275 people so far this year, more than double last year's total, with one or two new faces walking in the door daily.
The cause: Director Leslie Perryman points to "inflation and the housing market," not any single crisis. Translation: rent went up, wages didn't, and the gap between the two is where people fall through.
• 106: people found living unsheltered in the county's last one-night count, which is widely considered an undercount.
• $57,388: the county's entire homeless assistance funding this year, split among five agencies.
• $6,444: Street2Feet's share of it, to serve 275-plus people.
• 149 reactions, nearly 300 comments: on a local Facebook photo of trash at the latest camp. Posts about people actually helping get a fraction of that.
Where they are: The county set aside a lot behind Glen Park in Stroudsburg as an official encampment in late 2024. It drew complaints and was cleared in 2025. The latest camp showed up this month near a Stroudsburg cemetery, on PennDOT land that belongs to neither the county nor the borough.
Where the churches come in: Stroudsburg Wesleyan Church runs the Wesleyan Inn, the area's cold-weather shelter, with room for up to 40 guests a night starting Nov. 1. Manager Peter Mankin's rule: "We will not turn anyone away, everyone is welcome."
What works: Chester County, right here in Pennsylvania, hit "functional zero" for chronic homelessness for two months this past winter. The number has since crept back up, but the lesson holds: it didn't outspend the problem. It out-organized it.
The bottom line: This problem isn't going away anytime soon. Facebook and other forums fan the flames of outrage; but they offer little in the way of actual solutions. Perhaps if we spent less energy demonizing the homeless, and instead look for practical solutions, we could all win.
Go deeper: The full Special Report on Substack breaks it into three stories: Monroe County Homelessness: By the Numbers; How Monroe County Is Responding; and Pennsylvania and Beyond: Lessons for Monroe County. Inside: how Chester County pulled it off, the county's full funding breakdown, the detective-and-peer-specialist team answering overdose calls, and what a night at the Wesleyan Inn looks like. Read the full Special Report: monroeunfiltered.substack.com/p/monroe-unfiltered-special-report
PART 2: "I HAD BURNED ANOTHER BRIDGE"
George Martin spent about two years moving between shelters, temporary places to stay, and his mother's house in Bartonsville, with some nights under a bridge in East Stroudsburg. He now lives in Altoona. He wrote his story for Monroe Unfiltered. In his own words:
"Before I was able to secure a bed, there were nights when I slept beneath the bridge near Walmart in East Stroudsburg. Anyone familiar with that area understands how cold Pennsylvania winters can become. Now imagine being underneath a bridge, with winter wind moving through it all night."
"During that period of my life, much of my day revolved around survival. Where could I get warm? Where could I eat? Was there room at the shelter? Where could I sleep tonight?"
...
"Then, after showing up intoxicated too many times, I was permanently removed from the cold-weather shelter. I had burned another bridge. This time, almost literally."
...
"My life today is not perfect. It does not need to be. It is manageable."
...
"Before judging someone experiencing homelessness, remember: You may only be seeing one page of a story you have never read."
Go deeper: About seven trips to rehab, 15 to 20 withdrawal seizures, and the one question that finally changed everything. Read George's full essay, "Change the Man, Change the World," in the Special Report on Substack: monroeunfiltered.substack.com/p/monroe-unfiltered-special-report
PART 3: HOW YOU CAN HELP
Bedding, cold-weather gear, and volunteer hours help more than a Facebook comment ever will. Three places to start:
• Stroudsburg Wesleyan Church (Wesleyan Inn cold-weather shelter) , 915 N. Fifth St., Stroudsburg. Opens Nov. 1; needs overnight volunteers, meals, and warm clothing (sweatshirts, pants, socks). 570-421-0750.
• Street2Feet , 130 N. First St., Stroudsburg. The county's only daytime shelter and outreach center for homeless adults.
• Pocono Mountains United Way. One phone number if you don't know who else to call.
Go deeper: The full list of eight local groups, including a Main Street soup kitchen that needs volunteers and supplies, is at the end of the Special Report on Substack: monroeunfiltered.substack.com/p/monroe-unfiltered-special-report
THE DAILY RUNDOWN
Gas Takes a Breather. The average for East Stroudsburg is $4.46 per gallon, down about 2 cents from $4.48 a week ago and below the state average of $4.54, per AAA. The catch: that's still about 33 cents more than a month ago.
Stroudsburg Schools Start Late Today. Stroudsburg Area School District students have a two-hour delay today (Monday) while teachers hold a data meeting, per the district calendar.
Main Street Loses Its Starbucks. The shop at 745 Main St., open since 2007 in the refurbished Kitson Building, is listed as closed as of Sunday, one of about 250 Starbucks locations closing nationwide, the Pocono Record reports. Still open: North Ninth Street and inside Target on Mountaineer Drive.
Morales Trial: A Prior Threat. The girlfriend of shooting victim Henry Koroma Jr. testified Sept. 23 that a month or two before the May 2024 shooting at a Middle Smithfield Township bar, she overheard Matthew Morales, 33, threaten over FaceTime to stab Koroma, the Pocono Record reports. The defense says Morales fired in self-defense, and noted she didn't mention the threat during her first hour with troopers. No verdict had been reported as of Sunday night. Morales is presumed innocent until proven guilty.