This story originally appeared in The Centre County Gazette.
A pay-what-you-will concert featuring popular local musicians will benefit five agencies working to increase housing security and fight homelessness in the Centre Region.
The third annual “Gimme Shelter: The Concert for Housing Security in the Centre Region” will be presented at the South Hills School of Business and Technology in State College on Thursday, Feb. 5, starting at 6 p.m. Performers will include Biscuit Jam, Eric Ian Farmer, and Jason O, the frontman for My Hero Zero. The Nittany Knights Barbershop Chorus will open the show. Radio personality Jeff Brown will be the emcee. Food and soft drinks will be available for free will donation.
The event aims to raise not only money, but also awareness of the scale of housing insecurity in the region.
“Not only are there many homeless people in our community, but there are also many more who are just one layoff, or one personal crisis, away from it,” said Selden Smith, an organizer of the event. “It is a complex problem with many root causes. Luckily there are also a lot of dedicated people who understand those causes and are working for change.”
Proceeds from the concert will be divided equally among five organizations: Out of the Cold, a low-barrier emergency shelter; Centre Safe, which provides services for victims/survivors of interpersonal violence, including emergency shelter and housing; Housing Transitions, which has operated a family shelter for the last 40 years as well as programs to assist individuals and families to find and maintain stable housing; the State College Community Land Trust, which creates affordable homeownership opportunities; and the Centre County Youth Service Bureau, which provides an array of youth and family services including a teen shelter and transitional living program for young adults.
Tickets are available online. There is no set price for tickets; buyers will be asked to donate what they can.
South Hills, located at 480 Waupelani Dr. in State College, is offering its venue free of charge. All musicians and technical support staff are donating their time and talents.
Sponsors include: Kish Bank, South Hills School of Business & Technology, and the State College Borough.
Information about the beneficiary agencies can be found at:
- Centre Safe: centresafe.org
- Out of the Cold: outofthecoldcc.org
- Housing Transitions: housingtransitions.org
- State College Community Land Trust: scclandtrust.org
- Centre County Youth Service Bureau: ccysb.com.
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