PA 211 – Get Connected. Get Help.

PA 211 is a free, 24/7/365 service that connects Pennsylvania residents with essential community services, such as housing, food, utilities, and healthcare assistance, by dialing 211, texting a zip code to 898-211, or visiting the PA 211 website. The service is confidential, anonymous, available in multiple languages, and staffed by trained specialists who provide information and referrals for a wide range of human services, including mental health and addiction services, and disaster relief. 

Community CARES Severe Weather Shelter

Community CARES to Operate Emergency Winter Shelter 24/7 Due to Impending Storm Carlisle, PA — In response to an impending winter storm, Community CARES will operate its Winter Shelter 24 hours a day on Sunday and Monday to ensure the safety of individuals experiencing homelessness in Cumberland County. With dangerous winter conditions posing an immediate risk to life, Community CARES is opening space to shelter an additional 40 men and women through its Severe Weather Shelter. Throughout the winter months, Community CARES is providing lifesaving shelter through its men’s shelter, women’s shelter, family shelter, and winter shelter—protecting more than 150 men, women, and children across Cumberland County from dangerous winter conditions. Community CARES outreach teams are also actively working with dozens of individuals who are currently sleeping unsheltered or in vehicles to help them access safe, warm shelter during the storm.

The Community CARES Winter Shelter is normally open from 8:30 PM to 7:30 AM and is located at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 201 W. Louther Street, Carlisle. During the emergency weather period: The shelter will be open continuously (24/7) on Sunday and Monday Calling ahead to secure a spot is still required Clients must arrive by 8:30 PM Registration phone number: 717-448-8850 Food and bedding will be available throughout the extended shelter hours Additionally, the Community CARES Day Center, located at 50 W. Penn Street, Carlisle, will be closed on Sunday and Monday due to the storm. During this time, all calls should be directed to the Outreach cell phone at 717-448-8850.

Community CARES is also seeking volunteers and community support to assist with emergency operations. Anyone interested in helping or contributing can call 717-713-3966. Community CARES urges anyone in need of shelter, or community members who encounter someone outside during the storm, to call as soon as possible to help secure a safe place indoors. About Community CARES Community CARES provides emergency shelter, outreach, and support services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.

Christian Church United – Overnight Shelters

CCU partners with local churches to provide a year-round, walk-in overnight shelter for women and non-binary individuals in Harrisburg. The shelter offers emergency housing and relies on volunteers and donations to support its work.

Community Cares – Cold Weather Shelter

Community CARES runs a Severe Weather Shelter Program from December 1 through March 31, providing safe winter shelter for individuals experiencing homelessness in Cumberland County.

Gettysburg Combined Area Resources for Emergency Shelter (C.A.R.E.S)

Gettysburg C.A.R.E.S. provides emergency winter shelter for men, women, and families. Supported by local churches, organizations, and volunteers, the program offers overnight shelter, meals, and access to a daytime resource center that helps guests pursue housing, employment, and essential services.

Code Blue 2025-2026 Hanover Area Council of Churches Registration Process

Click here to download PDF

Code Blue 2025-2026 LifePath Market Street Campus Locations

Click here to download PDF

Code Blue 2025-2026 York County Day and Night Shelter Locations

Click here to download PDF

Mission Central – Medical Program

Mission Central’s Medical Program is a fast-growing outreach program that provides gently used and new medical equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers, and shower chairs to individuals, clinics, and mission teams who might not otherwise have access. All items are donated, cleaned, and redistributed at no cost, helping communities receive the support they need.

To see if you qualify, Contact:

717-766-1533

missioncentral@missioncentral.org

Refugee Eligibility for Car Grants – Rides for Refugees is a volunteer-run, 501(c)3 charity that provides vehicles to low-income, legal-permanent-resident refugees in the United States, so they can get to work and become self-reliant. Vehicles help refugees work and become financially independent, which benefits them and strengthens U.S. communities. Refugees from Afghanistan, Haiti, Ukraine, Syria, and many other countries need transportation urgently.

In order to qualify for a vehicle or vehicle grant from Rides for Refugees, applicants must: Be a refugee who fled to the United States from another country; Need private transportation to foster self-reliance; Have permanent legal status in the United States (not a temporary or parolee status, no pending asylum claim); Have a U.S. driver license or be in the process of earning one; Be enrolled in or income-eligible for one or more government programs for low-income recipients; Be able to afford fuel, insurance, and maintenance for a vehicle; To apply for a car, refugees must complete an application with a nonprofit organization or employer who knows the applicant(s) and can attest to the accuracy of information submitted in the application. Sponsoring organizations or refugees can request an application by writing to:  Hello@RidesforRefugees.org.

Cumberland County Guide to Human Services

Please use this guide to help you find services in Cumberland County that can assist you with your needs.

Pennsylvania Furniture Mission

The Pennsylvania Furniture Mission is a 501(c)3 non-profit serving Pennsylvania residents experiencing challenges related to living near or below the poverty line. They work to redirect gently-used, donated furniture to families in need, keeping usable furniture out of our landfills.  They are dedicated to creating warm and welcoming homes for all Pennsylvania residents by providing free gently-used furniture to families and individuals in need. Pennsylvania Furniture Mission also seeks to create a more sustainable environment, and simultaneously allows clients to select their own furnishings.

Community Needs Road Map 

By: New Life Community Church, Carlisle PA

Click here to access resources for people living in the Carlisle, PA area.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

SNAP is a federally funded program through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and administered in Pennsylvania by the Department of Human Services (DHS), Office of Income Maintenance. SNAP benefits provide assistance to eligible individuals and families to supplement monthly food expenses. Eligibility and monthly benefit amounts are based on household size, income, and other factors such as citizenship and household composition. SNAP benefits are accessible through an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card that works just like a regular debit card. All SNAP recipients are eligible for free nutrition education to help them make sound nutritional choices on a limited income. For more information and to find out where to apply, visit www.dhs.pa.gov/Services/Assistance/Pages/SNAP.aspx or contact the DHS Helpline at 1-800-692-7462 (PA Relay Services for the hearing and speech impaired at 711).

Click here to access the brochure. 

Affordable Housing

Here is a source for all Affordable Housing properties and programs in the United States.

ADAMS COUNTY LOCAL FOODS GUIDE

Compiled every two years, the Adams County Local Foods Resource Guide is intended to connect customers with farms, markets and products in order to improve health while building a more sustainable local food system.   Click here to access guide.

Food Assistance Resources

Food Pantries
If you need food, York County has a network of food pantries that can help with a one-time emergency or offer monthly appointments as needed.

Beacon Clinic for Health and Hope Goals:
• Provide free primary healthcare services and medications to underserved and uninsured
adults in the Greater Harrisburg Community (Cumberland, Dauphin and Perry Counties)
• Promote wholeness and wellness through education and coaching
• Provide excellence, continuity and accountability in healthcare service provided to
eligible patients

Click here for complete flyer

Re: FREE MEDICAL CLINIC
The Joshi Health Foundation is a charitable foundation started with a primary goal of providing FREE health care to those in need. They offer: FREE MEDICAL CLINIC with FREE tests: Essentially FREE health care services for those who cannot afford care (typically those without insurance, but others as well who are unable to afford). This is accomplished through a totally FREE clinic that offers consultation and follow up for general medical care. Limited blood tests and X Rays are also free thanks to arrangements with UPMC Pinnacle and Penn State Hershey. Scheduled appointments are on every Monday, but accommdations can be made for those who may need appointments on other days. We are NOT an emergency service and encourage scheduled appointments. Typical diseases treated have been general medical disorders such as Diabetes, High Blood pressure, heart disease, asthma, common infections, depression and other medical conditions. A diversity of patients are being served, ranging from new immigrants, those who have lost their jobs during Covid, or those who have a job but have been unable to afford health insurance. The office is located in Mechanicsburg behind the Carpet Mart complex off of Carlisle Pike with ample parking and easy access.
For more information please visit our website at joshihealthfoundation.org. For appointments or more information call 717-500-1470, or write to nirmal@joshihealthfoundation.org
Nirmal Joshi, MD FACP
President, Joshi Health Foundation
Suite 102, 5008 Lenker Street, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

Click here to access a flyer from the York County Food Alliance on COVID Food Resources.

The York County Food Alliance has been created to…

• Involve local individuals, organizations and businesses in building a sustainable local food system that promotes the health of individuals, communities and the natural environment
• Gather and share information about how York County’s food system works
  Develop programs that address gaps in the county’s food system
• Advocate for and advise on food system and food policy implementation

Living Wage Calculator

Families and individuals working in low-wage jobs make insufficient income to meet minimum standards given the local cost of living. The websites listed below developed a living wage calculator to estimate the cost of living in your community or region based on typical expenses. These tools help individuals, communities, and employers determine a local wage rate that allows residents to meet minimum standards of living.

http://livingwage.mit.edu/

Cost of Living