According to Homeless Shelters Directory, there are an estimated 950 homeless individuals in Lancaster and Chester counties. It costs Good Samaritan Services (GSS) $35 to provide a night of shelter, two meals, supplies, and compassionate care to an individual. That is about one-third the cost of a hotel per night.

Previously known as Good Sam Shelter, GSS has been operating since June 1999. By 2002, GSS purchased its first property in Phoenixville, where it was able to provide five people at a time with emergency housing. Currently, GSS owns 14 properties, totaling 100 beds and over 30,000 square feet. GSS came to the Lancaster County area in 2011 when it opened an emergency shelter in Ephrata, which provides housing for women and children.

GSS provides a full continuum of care to individuals and families that are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. Some of the services offered by GSS include eviction prevention, case management services, emergency shelter, transitional housing, affordable housing, and permanent housing services across Lancaster and Chester counties. The organization's end goal is to empower people to feel confident and capable enough to maintain their own safe and stable housing.

Since July 1, 2021, GSS has served 475 people, and more than 200 individuals have graduated from the organization's programs and are in stable housing.

Starting this year, GSS will offer its clients in-house counseling, and it will expand the women's shelter in Ephrata. The organization also opened a men's shelter in Ephrata on April 1.

Ninety-seven percent of GSS' funding comes from community donations and fundraisers such as the annual Engle Printing & Publishing Co., Inc. (EPC) Golf Outing. The 15th annual EPC Golf Outing will take place on Friday, June 10, at Crossgates Golf Club, 1 Crossland Pass, Millersville, with tee times at 7 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Meals, beverages, and snacks will be provided, and participants will have chances to win prizes throughout the golf course. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to GSS.

"Anytime anyone in the community is participating - whether that's through monthly donorship or coming to our events - they're really making a difference right here in their own community," said Mandy Johnson, director of community engagement at GSS. "We're so grateful because without the support, we literally couldn't do the work we're doing."

"We live in a great community, and it's being made even better with what GSS does every day," stated Rachel Stebbins, EPC marketing director. "The Golf Outing is a fun way to enjoy the great outdoors, meet some fellow do-gooders, and help put a dent in homelessness!"

Preregistration is required and can be completed up to 48 hours before the event. For more information about the EPC Golf Outing, to register to play, or to sponsor the event, visit http://www.epcgolfouting.com. To learn about the services GSS offers in Lancaster and Chester counties, visit http://www.goodsamservices.org.