.Hand Up Partners, has been researching failed and successful practices towards eliminating homelessness across the nation, while we’ve continuously been working on the impossible task of trying to manage the homeless population in Lancaster, when they have no legal place to be. We’ve come up with a two-step solution and will need the community's help in development and implementation.

As long as the homeless population doesn’t have a legal place to be, it affects our whole city.

The homeless are gathering anywhere that they can, until they get kicked out or arrested, including businesses, churches, residences, parks and street corners, which are not appropriate places for them to live or a way to continue the growth of a healthy city.

The longer that they are homeless or without a legal, managed place to be, the more apt they are to become addicted to drugs, to get stuck in our legal system, and the more time, effort and money it will take them to heal to the point of re-entry, into self-sufficiency, housing and employment. 

A well-managed encampment is not housing first, but it can be the stability that will lead to their healing and self-sufficiency. When someone knows that they have a continuous place to go to sleep and wake up, and that their belongings will be safe and won’t have to be carried with them all day and everywhere that they go, when all the resources are available to them in a centralized area, the real work to solving homelessness can begin, and the city, businesses, parks and churches can use their resources for intended services, instead of the impossible situation that we are presently trying to manage.

This (location yet to be determined) encampment will work as a temporary transitional living space until we can develop a campus styled transitional living space using the blueprint of the successful Haven for Hope in San Antonio TX. https://www.havenforhope.org with all the resources and sheltering in one area, with one core, set of values in the care of all.

We are in the process of seeking and forming a board of capable people that know how to run a business, that would like to see homelessness solved in Lancaster, PA, and have the capabilities and compassion to bring the businesses, philanthropists, and community together, raise the funds, build and oversee this campus.

We need Lancaster, as a whole to proudly say, “These are our people and this is our city and county, we are brave enough, human enough, and strong enough to solve homelessness in Lancaster, PA! Please watch and follow our example.” 

Are you ready? Reach out to HandUpPartners.org .