Polk Center was carefully built over the years as a residential treatment community in the Pennsylvania foothills that has cared for more than 13,000 residents on 2000 acres since 1897.  Polk’s history runs parallel to the times: once Polk had a fully operational farm where occupational skills were learned and life skills established, now Polk is an Intermediate Care Facility licensed by the United States Department of Health to the highest standards and more vigorous review for People with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF/ID) with dual diagnosis at the most profound levels and autistic behavior spectrum at its most severe.  

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Polk Center was home to Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable; it was a rich mix of wonderful people, living in community supporting each other, building lives, leading lives of everyday promise, in a safe location,  and in a medically secure environment where residents relaxed into the rhythms of a real home; and thrived.. until BOOM August 14, 2019  Governor Tom Wolf ended all that.  Polk Center would be closed and White Haven too.   No warning. No reason. Eviction notices were read to all the residents.  The Secretary of Human Services said it was a great day. The Arc, Temple University and Disability Right Pennsylvania were gleeful: Congratulations they said : things are finally going our way.

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The Polk staff was stunned, families were stunned, the region was stunned, the legislators were stunned and together we became Polk Center Strong . Polk Center Strong is the fight back option --incorporated in December 2019 to advocate for the civil right of the disabled residents of Polk Center in Polk Pennsylvania who are being evicted from their homes, and determined to be exempt from federal income tax  under IRS Section510 (c) (3) January 9, 2020.  

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We welcome your donations and your deeper understanding of what went wrong and why ~~ and how to find support nationally as well as locally.

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