The Good Samaritan Shelter has two main programs to help provides safe, comfortable housing people in need.

For homeless men in the greater Phoenixville area, we have our Phoenixville Location. This location can hold seven residents in our emergency shelter and an additional fourteen in our transitional housing program. We also collaborate with local health and social service agencies to help our guests regain stability in their lives and address the issues surrounding their homelessness.

We perform regular fire safety inspections on all our homes. Home inspections are done every three years and a group of volunteers handles our repair and maintenance needs.


Our Locust Street House's Interior.

The Emergency Shelter Program:

Our Emergency Shelter is a 7-bed shelter that welcomes homeless men. Residents are allowed a 45-day residency. During their stay, residents are offered two meals per day and are provided with toiletries, linens, and towels. During extreme weather conditions, being either very cold (Code Blue) or very hot, (Code Red) the Shelter offers emergency vouchers for a local hotel if the Emergency Shelter is full.

Admission to the shelter begins with an intake interview. During the intake process, the staff collects all pertinent information and identifies the special needs of the resident. Using this information, the shelter staff refers residents to local agencies that can help with various issues such as mental health services, substance abuse counseling or job placement. All residents are referred to Building Bridges Human Services for homeless case management. Residents are also given benefits information, legal information, and a copy of the house rules and code of conduct.

The intake process also includes a call to the local police department to check for any outstanding arrest warrants. Only men who have no outstanding warrants are eligible to reside at the Shelter.

All residents of the Good Samaritan Shelter are expected to adhere to the house rules and maintain their sobriety at all times. Residents are subject to random drug testing. Evidence of drug or alcohol use is cause for immediate eviction. Each resident is also required to help with household chores and is expected to be respectful of housemates.

House managers ensure the safety and effective operation of the shelter. The Shelter’s Executive Director offers counseling and additional case management to all residents.

The Transitional Housing Program:

Our transitional housing program comprises of two sets of two adjacent homes. It can accommodate up to fourteen men. Residents are allowed to reside in the home for up to 12 months. This longer-term residency allows the men to continue to improve their circumstances and prepare for the move into permanent housing.

Residents who have completed a successful stay in the Emergency Shelter may be eligible to reside in the transitional housing. Residents are required to be employed and/or have another source of regular monthly income. Residents who meet these requirements, have complied with the house rules, demonstrated sobriety throughout their stay, and expressed a desire to continue on to independent living will be welcomed into our transitional housing.

Transitional Housing Program residents are expected to function more independently than Emergency Shelter residents in order to ‘practice’ the life skills needed to live on their own. Residents are also expected to be responsible with their rent and upkeep of their personal space. While in the program, residents continue to receive case management counseling services and referrals to other agencies.

Core programs:

Our primary objectives at the Good Samaritan Shelter are to help our residents find work, save money and move into permanent housing. To accomplish this we offer 3 core programs: Ready for Work, Building Wealth and Moving Towards Independence.
  • Ready for Work covers the following topics: resume writing, interview skills, effective job searching, how to be a good employee and much more.
  • Building Wealth also includes our credit repair program and is an important step in helping our residents live responsibly. Topics covered include: saving, investing, insurance and much more.
  • Moving Towards Independence covers the following topics: how to understand a lease, how to be a good tenant, locating affordable housing and much more.

Residents of Phoenixville are connected with the following life-enriching resources:
  • Mental Health Counseling
  • Drug/Alcohol Counseling
  • Health Care Access
  • Cash Assistance
  • Transportation Assistance
  • GED Preparation
  • Free access to the YMCA
  • Bicycles
During their stay, our residents receive the basics of shelter, food, and clothing. We help them deal directly with the reasons they came to us - providing counseling for substance abuse and encouraging participation in support groups and communities of faith. To help them integrate back into the community and enrich their lives they receive education and training in the following areas:
  • Budgeting
  • Job Readiness
  • Sewing
  • Computer Training
  • Resume Writing
  • Mentorship
  • Smoking Cessation
  • Health Education

Good Samaritan Shelter is also a committee member of the Chester County Decade to Doorways program. For more information click here.
GOOD SAMARITAN SHELTER
141 E. High StreetPO Box 551Phoenixville, Pennsylvania 19460T 610-933-9305F 610-917-9815
PO Box 756Ephrata, Pennsylvania 17522T 717-733-3395F 610-917-9815
Copyright 2008-2013. The Good Samaritan Shelter, Inc. All rights reserved.
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