A benefit concert held earlier this month raised $8,500 for agencies working to address homelessness and improve housing security in the State College area.
“Gimme Shelter: The Concert for Housing Security in the Centre Region” drew a crowd of about 200 supporters to hear four local groups perform on Feb. 1 at South Hills School of Business and Technology in State College, according to event organizers.
Proceeds will be divided equally among four organizations. They include Out of the Cold, a low-barrier shelter; Centre Safe, whose services for survivors of domestic and dating violence include emergency shelter and housing; Housing Transitions, which operates a family shelter along with programs for finding and maintaining stable housing; and State College Community Land Trust, which creates affordable homeownership opportunities.
“It was wonderful to see the community come together, hear from local musicians and support four incredible local organizations that provide support and assistance to people at times of vulnerability and to address critical housing needs in State College,” borough Mayor Ezra Nanes said.
The event, emceed by radio personality Jeff Brown, featured four local musical acts: the Nittany Knights Barbershop Chorus; the duo Biscuit Jam, with guest harmonica player Richard Sleigh; Eric Ian Farmer with Mickey Klein on bass; and My Hero Zero frontman Jason Olcese, performing solo.
All of the performers and technicians volunteered their time, and South Hills provided the venue—and the time and talents of its faculty and staff—free of charge. Tickets were a pay-what-you-wish donation.
“I loved seeing this all come together into a beautiful evening that accomplished the goals of raising money and awareness,” Olcese said.
The Gimme Shelter concert was the culmination of an idea floated last year by Olcese and Selden Smith, who chairs State College Borough’s Citizens Advisory Committee for HUD’s Community Development Block Grant program, where Olcese at the time was a committee member.
“We were able to get some of that block-grant money to these agencies that are doing this great work, from emergency shelter to temporary housing to affordable home ownership,” Smith said. “But we also saw that too few people realize that housing insecurity is even an issue in Happy Valley.”
