Opportunity House

Founded in 1984 as an outreach of local churches using church basements to provide a warm meal and a safe place to sleep, Opportunity House is now a 24 hour multi-service agency serving Berks County and the Pottstown area of Pennsylvania. Its purpose is to empower individuals to improve their lives by providing security, stability, safety and community. The Reading emergency shelter at 430 North Second Street is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and serves approximately 500 men, women, children and Veterans each year, with case management, housing plans and the S.M.I.L.E. life skills program covering job interviewing, budgeting, hygiene and meal preparation. A second emergency shelter in Pottstown, located at the Days Inn on West King Street, serves more than 100 individuals and is accessed through the Your Way Home coordinated entry line (walk-ins cannot be accepted). Opportunity House also operates two childcare and early education sites: the Second Street Learning Center (Keystone 4 Star, ages 6 weeks to 12 years, PreK Counts, before and after school care with transportation, open 5:30 AM to 6:30 PM) and the Patton Ave Learning Center, opened in 2025 for up to 65 children ages 6 weeks to 5 years (open 6:30 AM to 6:00 PM). Additional programs include a Permanent Housing Program for those who have experienced homelessness, the OppShop retail thrift store on 5th Street Highway, a Reuse and Recycle Program that reduces landfill waste while providing job training to formerly homeless clients, and donation bins located throughout the county. The organization is governed by a board of directors and led by CEO Alyssa Bushkie.