Housing is a basic human need, but it's also one of the easiest things to take for granted. For many people in the county, the certainty of having a place to call home has slipped away, often after a job loss, medical crisis or sudden life change. That's where ECHOS steps in, offering a pathway back to stability.

ECHOS, which stands for Elizabethtown Community Housing & Outreach Services, provides resources and support for people facing a housing crisis and also offers opportunities for any member of the community to find the help he or she needs.

"A lot of our work is focused on supporting individuals through housing support systems," said executive director Ashley Bulley. "We go from crisis to permanent housing. We run the gamut of everything available for housing opportunities and support."

Established as a 501(c)(3) based on Washington Street in Elizabethtown, ECHOS serves the Elizabethtown and Donegal school districts, including Mount Joy, Bainbridge, Maytown, Marietta and Rheems.

The ECHOS Enrichment Center is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and serves as a walk-in resource hub for community members, said Bulley. Visitors can use computers to search for jobs, access Social Security or disability information, explore health insurance options and more. Two case managers are available by appointment or walk-in to help connect people with services, along with partners such as CareerLink and Lancaster EMS.

"All of this is free to community members," Bulley remarked. "Anyone in our service area can use the Enrichment Center."

Within the center, ECHOS also offers an Eviction Prevention and Diversion program, providing funds for people who are at risk for losing their home or who are facing shutoff of their utilities.

From December to April, ECHOS hosts an emergency shelter, open seven days a week from 6:30 p.m. to 8 a.m. With a capacity of 42 people, the shelter includes four family rooms, designed to keep incoming families together during their stay.

The shelter relies on extensive community support, whether through the hot meals provided nightly by groups and organizations or through the volunteers who help in the evening, spend the night or serve breakfast in the morning.

"Our community is incredible with the support they give us," Bulley said, adding that it takes 70 volunteers a week to operate the shelter. "Last shelter season, we did not cook a single meal. Every night, the community dropped off a hot meal, and so far this year, the same thing has happened."

The shelter is a low-barrier shelter, meaning people have the lowest level of restrictions to be able to use the space.

"We want to get people in who need help and then try to connect them with case management and other resources to get them on a path to stability," Bulley said.

ECHOS operates several housing programs designed to meet people at different stages of need. Its Homestead transitional housing program includes six on-site apartments for adults 55 and older and young adults ages 18 to 24, particularly those aging out of foster care.

Bridge House at ECHOS offers four two-bedroom crisis housing apartments for families or individuals with disabilities.

ECHOS also provides Permanent Supportive Housing for five highly vulnerable households and operates the Pathways to MyHome program, which helps people secure long-term housing.

ECHOS is funded through government programs, grants, donations and community fundraising events, such as its annual ECHOS of Hope Gala, which will be held on Thursday, May 14.

People can also support ECHOS by donating items from the organization's Amazon Wish List or signing up to volunteer at the emergency shelter.

To highlight what it's like to face housing insecurity, ECHOS will host a Poverty Simulation on Thursday, Jan. 29, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at KAV at Elizabethtown College, 1 Alpha Drive. The interactive experience is designed to deepen understanding of the challenges ECHOS guests face.

Bulley noted that funding is always a challenge for ECHOS, as is the increasing number of unhoused people in the county.

"The challenge we face is homelessness looks so different in our community than what people might think," she said, noting that it's a hidden epidemic. "These are people who are living in their cars. They're living the woods. They're couch surfing or staying with friends until they outgrow their welcome."

She added that ECHOS is seeing an increase in older individuals who need help as rents continue to rise or people fall victim to scams and lose their savings.

"I think people don't really understand how close to homelessness we all are," she said. "We are literally one major life event away - whether that's a job loss, an illness - from needing help. Our goal is to be that resource for anyone who comes in and says, 'I'm in a situation that I never thought I was going to be in.' We're here to help."

For more information on ECHOS and the Poverty Simulation, visit http://www.echoslancaster.org.