Tag: Heart Program

New HEART House Needs Supplies!

Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition

December 21, 2021

We are beyond thrilled and honored to announce that with the amazing help of our community, we are reopening HEART house in the next few weeks!

HEART will house five LGBTQ residents struggling with homelessness, housing insecurity, and non-affirming situations, and provide them with programming, job assistance, and loving support.

We are looking for the following items to get everything ready – please reach out to lmurdock@lgbtlancaster.org if you want to help! Thank you!

  • Pots and pans
  • Mixing and measuring bowls, measuring spoons
  • Silverware
  • Kitchen towels (the gayer the better!)
  • Cups
  • Tupperware
  • Aluminum foil
  • Glad bags
  • Cling wrap
  • Ice trays
  • 5 twin beds and frames
  • Extra sheets, blankets, comforters for twin beds
  • Towels
  • Small dressers
  • Bedside tables and lamps
  • Closet hangers
  • Pillows
  • Shower caddies
  • Toothbrushes & toothpaste
  • First aid supplies, including basic OTC meds (Tylenol, hydrogen peroxide, neosporin, tums, etc.)
  • A small couch (and we mean small – it’s a very narrow entryway!)
  • Small TV and TV stand
  • Small bookshelves
  • Curtains
  • Super gay wall art
  • Laundry detergent
  • Soap, shampoo
  • Cleaning supplies
  • Basic kitchen staples
  • Board games
  • Craft supplies
  • Pens
  • Notebooks for groups
  • Any little touches to make it a home!

A Place to Call Home

Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition

May 17, 2021

There is a housing crisis in Lancaster County and extremely limited LGBTQ+ affirming housing. Over 70% of our Pandemic Relief Emergency Fund recipients reported housing and rental assistance as their primary need. Currently there are no fully affirming shelters in Lancaster County and bed availability is scarce.

On February 1, 2021, the HEART Program opened its 6-month pilot low-cost housing location, offering individuals sheltering in unaffirming environments a chance to live in a supportive home. The Coalition helps subsidize rent according to each person’s individual needs and works with community partners to offer enrichment training, such as budgeting, health resources, and other life skills.

HEART also offers a warm-handoff service to housing and medical services to provide emotional support for program participants. To further ensure resource providers are capable of providing culturally competent services, we provide cultural competency training to community stakeholders and potential partners around serving the LGBTQ+ population.

Once we have hired a Director of Programming to manage the program and volunteers, HEART will expand to work with persons experiencing homelessness on the streets to help them access safe and inclusive housing, and mitigate their vulnerability to COVID-19 by providing PPE, hand sanitizer and resources.

At this time, we are unable to offer emergency crisis shelter. Applicants must have some form of income and have the ability to manage their general needs and safety. If you are in need of immediate shelter call crisis intervention at (717) 394-2631 or 211.

Apply for housing » a case manager will contact you for an intake within 48 hours.
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