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Montgomery County OKs interim hoteling program at Days Inn to shelter Pottstown unhoused
Summary
The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners unanimously authorized a lease for up to 62 rooms at the Days Inn in Pottstown to provide temporary, year‑round supportive housing and onsite services while a permanent shelter is developed; the program will begin upon conditional zoning approval and end when the permanent facility opens.
The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Jan. 23 to authorize a lease of up to 62 rooms at the Days Inn in Pottstown to house people experiencing homelessness while a permanent shelter is developed.
County Deputy Chief Operating Officer and Director of Health and Human Services Dr. Tamara Williams said the short‑term program will pair temporary housing with support services “with the ultimate goal of connecting people to a permanent housing situation without returning to homelessness.” The county and borough will prioritize residents living in the area’s largest encampment sites for placement.
Commissioner Makeisha said the county’s emergency hoteling program is a direct response to sustained subfreezing temperatures and recent “code blue” alerts, and framed the lease as part of a broader county effort to reduce unsheltered homelessness.
Commissioner Joel Winder said Pottstown has “one of the county’s highest populations of unsheltered individuals” and that the leased rooms “have the capacity to reduce the number of unsheltered individuals in the Pottstown area by up to 75%.” He told the board the program would include 24/7 on‑site, person‑centered services if zoning approval is granted by the borough.
Pottstown Borough Manager Justin Keller described the Days Inn lease as a temporary bridge to a permanent, 45‑bed shelter already approved but still in the land‑development process: “We have a permanent shelter that is approved, a 45 bed, but that's still some time out. We needed something to bridge the gap in the interim.”
Modesto Fiumi, president of Opportunity House, said his organization has expanded a pilot begun in November and will provide services for the program if approved: “We’re excited about this. Thrilled that it's happening so quickly.”
During discussion Commissioners emphasized that the motel lease is intended as a temporary measure that must be paired with wraparound services — medical, behavioral‑health, addiction treatment and housing case management — to help participants secure stable housing. Commissioner DiBello and others said the county must continue to expand both temporary and permanent capacity and to coordinate funding and services across municipalities and the state.
The board approved a resolution authorizing the county to enter a lease with JSK Pottstown LLC for Days Inn, 61 West King Street, Pottstown. The resolution was moved and seconded on the record and passed by unanimous voice vote. The program will begin upon conditional zoning approval from Pottstown and will end on the opening of a permanent Pottstown shelter.
Implementation details the county discussed include prioritizing placement for people living in identified encampments, providing 24/7 on‑site supportive services if zoning is approved, and coordinating referrals through the county’s Your Way Home continuum and nonprofit partners such as Opportunity House. Funding sources and the total county cost for the lease were described in the staff presentation but exact dollar figures were not specified on the public record at the Jan. 23 meeting.
The board directed staff to continue coordination with Pottstown borough officials, community partners and state legislative representatives while the borough proceeds through zoning review.
