
Check out our all new events page where you can find us in the local area!!!
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.
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.
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.
We welcome your donations and your deeper understanding of what went wrong and why ~~ and how to find support nationally as well as locally.
We are an alliance of friends, community, staff and family of the people living in State Centers in Pennsylvania supporting their right to choose to stay in their homes.
A community within a community.
Please check out our Community Connection section for news, letters from family, and clips of information pertaining to our cause! Then stop by our photo gallery to see what we have been up to.
Civil lawsuit information is here! This is where we fight back!!!
To keep up with current events please click on the link to our twitter page above.
Leave a message on our contact page, let us know what you think!
Welcome!
Please continue to check back as we continue to grow.