{HARRISBURG} — Mayor Wanda R.D. Williams has sent $1 million to a pair of local shelters which will immediately help Harrisburg unhoused community members.
Harrisburg City Council approved moving the funds to Downtown Daily Bread and Christian Churches United as part of the Bridge Housing program, established with the city’s American Rescue Plan funding. Both shelters will receive $500,000 which will assist in increasing space for unhoused residents, and help in moving their overnight shelters to functioning year-round.
Previously, both Downtown Daily Bread and Christian Churches United operated overnight shelters during winter months only, from December 1 to March 31.
“This money will be able to help address our city’s growing unhoused population immediately,” said Mayor Williams. “We realize not everyone wishes to have a roof over their head at night, but many do, and thanks to partners like Downtown Daily Bread and Christian Churches United who are doing tremendous work in our city every day, more people will have the opportunity to sleep safely and soundly.”
Both shelters anticipate being able to open for year-round capacity on November 1.
City Council approved the reallocation of funds to Downtown Daily Bread and Christian Churches United by a 6-1 vote, with Councilwoman Daniels being the only dissention.
Downtown Daily Bread and Christian Churches United have been leaders in the daily assistance of Harrisburg’s unhoused community, Mayor Williams said. The decision to fund their shelters was made with the upcoming I-83 South Bridge project in mind. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation anticipates starting work on creating a new South Bridge in mid-2025, and has stated they will need the space where a large unhoused encampment currently sits. The City of Harrisburg is committed to finding solutions when it comes to safe relocation efforts for the dozens of individuals who currently use that space.
Both CCU and DDB are located downtown, with nearby access to additional unhoused resources and transportation.
“It has always been a hope of mine to be able to provide overnight shelter for our neighbors all year round,” said Corrie Lingenfelter, Executive Director at Downtown Daily Bread. “This opportunity to extend our overnight shelter to a year round overnight shelter excites me, and it would not have happened without the gracious support of this city and our mayor. She’s been part of this plan from day one and very supportive to the vision and mission of Downtown Daily Bread. We are thrilled for this new opportunity to serve the community at a bigger capacity.”
Darrel Reinford, Executive Director at Christian Churches United, added, “We are grateful for this opportunity to be able to expand our services to those dealing with homelessness. Providing a safe place for someone to sleep is essential to provide them with some measure of dignity and help them get back on their feet. It also provides a place where they can receive other support and be connected with other community services. We look forward to collaborating with all those in our community who want to walk alongside those who do not have stable housing and make this shelter a place of healing and hope.”
Mayor Williams and Harrisburg City Council agreed to create a Bridge Housing program to address issues facing the local unhoused community when it passed Bill 5 of 2023, otherwise known as the American Rescue Plan bill. The city set aside $1 million for the program, as part of the nearly $31.5 million balance of ARPA funds which will go towards other city-wide programs, like home repairs, affordable housing, a new pool, trash bill forgiveness, and elsewhere.
