Stock photo.
(The following information was provided by the Montgomery County Office of Communications.)
Effective Feb. 1, Your Way Home will operate a new call center through Montgomery County’s Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Community Connections. This change will provide more direct, local expertise and responses to calls from residents experiencing homelessness.
The county will hold a soft launch of the new call center starting on Jan. 15. People experiencing homelessness in Montgomery County can begin to call the new helpline number at 610-278-3522 to be connected to a Coordinated Entry Specialist.
"This new call center through the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Community Connections demonstrates Montgomery County’s ongoing commitment to reducing homelessness,” said Jamila H. Winder, Chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. "For the vulnerable population that needs this resource, having an entry point to local services that is compassionate, knowledgeable, and efficient can be lifesaving.”
"Homelessness is a crisis throughout the country, but we’re taking action to ensure that here in Montgomery County, every person has a safe place to call home,” said Commissioner Neil Makhija. "Your Way Home is a public-private partnership designed to bring together our community partners to address ending homelessness and housing needs, and the new helpline and outreach resources will be a pivotal step to secure housing for those in greatest need.”
"My fellow Commissioners and I are all dedicated to working together on the issue of homelessness in Montgomery County,” said Commissioner Thomas DiBello. "The announcement of the new call center is welcomed, and I also look forward to continuing to focus on implementing workable solutions.”
The launch of the new helpline means that United Way of Southeastern PA’s 211 call center will no longer be the coordinated entry provider for the Your Way Home. During the county’s soft launch, 211 will still be available. Starting Feb. 1, residents calling 211 for Your Way Home will hear a recorded message directing them to dial the new helpline number.
For more information about the new call center and about Your Way Home’s programs, please reach out to [email protected]or visit yourwayhome.org.
About Your Way Home
In January 2014, Your Way Home was established at Montgomery County’s unified and coordinated housing crisis response system for families and individuals experiencing homelessness or at imminent risk of homelessness. Your Way Home’s Mission is to ensure that everyone who lives, works, learns, and invests in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania has an equal opportunity to live in an affordable home and a thriving community. This includes 24/7 street outreach services, Code Blue support, and a Coordinated Entry System to prioritize people for housing, counseling, and services for vulnerable families and individuals.
