Complaint Review: Allentown Rescue Mission - Allentown Pennsylvania

www.allentownrescuemission.org

355 West Hamilton Street Allentown, PA 18101-1819 (610) 740-5500

This complaint is about the Allentown Rescue Mission in Allentown, PA. This is a men's shelter and (Supposedly) Christian mission organization, a charity designed to help homeless men. I am a victim of violence and am disabled and had become homeless from the financial harm prior to me being approved for disability. As a last resort I found myself standing in front of this mission and approached them for help. I first met with Brian Phillips, one of the directors of the mission, and explained to him my plight. Brian went on to say I'd need to join one of the programs, that I'd have a hard time with this since he was not sure how well I'd fit in there, he was right, and he also said he did not like me because I was "Too smart". I agreed that I would see if I could make it work out and would work towards the goal of getting into the men's Christian program once there became open spots in it. Until then I'd need to bunk in the shelter area, leave during the day until 7pm, and come back for dinner and a place to sleep. This was well and good in the summer and fall months, but once winter came around, this was of course a problem. I had already starved nearly to death more than once in the past few years and was fairly lean at that time already.

As I went through the programs, and essentially waited to get into the ministry program I noticed a few things. Everyone seemed to be so set upon letting everyone know they were a Jesus freak, with Brian Phillips riding his Honda VFR Interceptor into work wearing his Christian Motorcycle Club leathers with a two foot crucifix displayed on his back. My experience tells me that the more you have to tell others you are a Godly person, the less likely it is that you are a Christian. Combine that with the fact this was a charitable organization funded by gifts of food and money from businesses and citizens in the community and I assume this paid salaries as well. Suffice it to say I found it odd and excessive that reformed drug dealers such as Dan Adams, one of the program leaders, was able to afford both a new top of the line trim level Ford F150 4x4 pickup truck AND a new Dodge Durango Hemi 4x4 that he would alternately drive to work. Certainly no sacrifice or demonstration thereof on his part. This just served to rub in the fact these people were more (And catered to) criminals than they were Christians.

This would become more apparent as time went on and the staff became increasingly more hostile towards me. I think it upset most of the people there that I was a victim of violence and it would be entirely possible that some of my attackers were in the programs. For instance one participant, Norman Sewell, confided in us he had murdered a man and was never charged for it. I mean this is no different than what was done to me and I had to sit and put up with these people catering to and coddling these crooks while beating me up for being upset about being nearly killed. It was incredible. Most of the staff there are former felons, with one staff member Saul, being a career felon from Attica who bragged how he used to run around knifing people, with blood dripping all over the place, and how he runs the shelter like a prison to get his kicks. Eventually I was forced to leave, and at one point Dan Adams decided I should bunk with another resident Kelly who had contracted AIDS. I already had a bunk assigned to me across the hall but this was done intentionally to expose me to this person's disease. This is the level of hostility and disrespect I was paid while there and this all speaks to the problem that male victims of domestic or other violence have no safe place to go unless you have a drug problem or are a career felon.