For the first time in two years, Greene County Housing and Family Resources held the Greene County Housing Summit. The event occurred at 1 p.m. April 16 in the Greene County Fairgrounds Upper 4-H building.

At the event, speakers, such as Lyndsay Burrik, house supervisor from Greensburg, presented PowerPoints on the housing situation in western Pennsylvania counties and the recent changes made by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Amy Switalski, director of Greene County Housing and Family Resources, said the many changes HUD made are not easily understood, so the organization decided it was important to hold an event to explain fully.

“The main purpose of the housing summit was to educate other case managers who work with individuals who may have a housing crisis to know where to go and what resources we have in the county and also to know all of the changes that HUD made for the county,” said Switalski.

The event was attended by 42 people, surpassing the registration number by seven, and lasted for more than two hours.

Typically, Greene County Housing Options Partnership holds a meeting on the third Monday of every month in the Fort Jackson building in Waynesburg. Each meeting hosts a different speaker to talk about updates concerning the housing situation in Greene County, but the Greene County Housing Summit took the place of that meeting this month, according to Switalski.

Although the information stated at the meeting applies to anyone dealing with homelessness, Greene County Housing and Family Resources chose to have the event in Waynesburg.

Karen Bennett, administrator for Greene County Human Services, said the county focuses on housing in Waynesburg more than other places in the county because the town possesses additional services beyond housing.

 “It’s not just housing [they need], it’s basic needs like food,” said Bennett, “So we try to put our apartments that we have, our units, mainly in Waynesburg, because that’s where the services are; close to grocery stores, close to pharmacies and the welfare office is here.”

Bennett and Switalski said they believed the event turned out well and those who attended received helpful information for continuing forward in housing matters.

“We decided that it was time to educate the proprietors and people that make the referrals on what those changes are and how to proceed when they are working with someone who is homeless as providers,” said Bennett.