Berks County Homeless Shelters: Where to Go Tonight

If you have nowhere to sleep tonight in Berks County, dial 211 at any hour, or go straight to one of the two adult shelters that take walk-ins. The Berks Coalition to End Homelessness at 600 Penn St. in Reading, open for assessments 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays, puts you on a ranked waiting list for the county's shelter and housing programs; it is not a place to get a bed for tonight. The two walk-in shelters are Opportunity House, 430 N. 2nd St., Reading, 610-374-4696, ext. 247, open around the clock for men, women and families, and Hope Rescue Mission, 645 N. 6th St., Reading, 610-375-4224, for single men, by phone or walk-in. Anyone fleeing abuse can call Safe Berks at 844-789-7233, and a young person aged 14 to 17 can walk into Mary's Shelter at 615 Kenhorst Blvd.

How the system works: Coordinated Entry

Berks County has no county-run adult shelter. The shelters are nonprofits, and the front door to most of them is a process called Coordinated Entry, run by the Berks Coalition to End Homelessness (BCEH). BCEH is the lead agency for the Reading/Berks County Continuum of Care, the federal designation (PA-506) for the local network that applies for U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development homeless money, according to its homepage. Its office is on the third floor of 600 Penn St., open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., phone 610-372-7222. The website's footer gives the ZIP code as 19601 and the coalition's July 2026 resource brochure gives 19602; the street address is the same.

The Coordinated Entry page explains the process. A staff member asks about 15 minutes of mostly yes-or-no questions, and your answers go on a confidential "Master List" that ranks people by need. When a bed or unit opens at a participating program, the Coordinated Entry manager picks the person on the list with the most need and the best fit. BCEH says it cannot tell you your place on the list, and if it cannot reach you when a referral comes up, it passes the referral to the next person, so keep your contact information current. You may skip any question, though a skipped answer can lengthen your wait.

To get assessed:

1. Walk into BCEH at 600 Penn St., Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
2. Or call 211. PA 211 East answers 24 hours a day, free, in 180 languages; you can also text your ZIP code to 898-211. Its Berks County page says 211 "is a contracted screening partner" for BCEH, and 211 ran 373 Coordinated Entry screenings in the year ending June 30, 2026, per its Berks housing report.
3. Or ask at one of the other agencies BCEH lists as able to do the assessment, including Hope Rescue Mission, Opportunity House, Mary's Shelter, Safe Berks, Family Promise, the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities and the city Human Relations Commission.

For evenings, weekends and holidays, 211 is the number. Opportunity House's contact page also gives its own after-hours line: if you need shelter on a weekend or after 4 p.m. on a weekday, call 610-374-4696, ext. 247.

The shelters

BCEH's Shelters in the Area page is the official list. Each shelter's own site adds who it takes and how long you can stay.

Opportunity House

Opportunity House is at 430 N. 2nd St., Reading, PA 19601, 610-374-4696. Its emergency housing page says the Reading shelter is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, serves men, women, children and veterans, and takes about 500 people a year; shelter intake is ext. 247. Its shelter needs page gives the shelter desk as ext. 221, and BCEH's July 2026 brochure lists the shelter at ext. 221, so either extension should reach the shelter. The 211 listing adds that children must be with a legal guardian and services are free. BCEH's list says "call or walk in." Opportunity House also runs a shelter in Pottstown, which does not take walk-ins. The site does not state rules on sobriety, pets or identification; ask when you call.

Hope Rescue Mission

Hope Rescue Mission, 645 N. 6th St., Reading, PA 19601, 610-375-4224, shelters single men; BCEH's list says "call or walk in." Its programs page describes Genesis, an emergency shelter for up to six months with room for 100 men a night, three meals a day, clothing, showers and laundry, with chapel each evening that guests are "encouraged" to attend; Safe Haven, a next-step shelter of up to three months for 53 men with a job or fixed income; and 90 single rooms of transitional housing for up to six months for men who finish the shelter program. The mission is a Christian ministry and says so on the page.

LightHouse Women & Children's Center

LightHouse, 715 N. 6th St., Reading, PA 19601, 610-484-4495, is run by Hope Rescue Mission. Its page lists 43 private rooms for single women and mothers with children. Emergency shelter stays run one to three nights and transitional housing runs up to six months. The page lists its program requirements without saying which stay they apply to: a head of household over 18, a year of Berks County residency, a commitment to recovery with random drug tests, engagement with services, an online application and at least five hours of community service a week. Call before you go to ask which rules apply to a short emergency stay. Uncaged pets are allowed in the emergency shelter but not in transitional housing. Adult males are not admitted.

Mary's Shelter

Mary's Shelter is at 615 Kenhorst Blvd., Reading, PA 19611, 610-376-1973. Its help page says the line is answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The youth services page describes YESS, an emergency shelter of up to 21 days for ages 14 to 17 of any gender, where "walk-ins [are] welcome," and STRONG, an 18-month housing program for ages 16 to 21. BCEH's list adds a youth drop-in center Monday through Friday 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. The maternity program offers temporary housing, counseling and prenatal coordination to pregnant women; call for admission. Three letters in the county commissioners' Nov. 5 packet back Mary's Shelter grant applications: two for state housing money for a "Youth Bridge Program" of affordable housing for young people leaving youth programs, and one for Local Share Account money to turn its storage space into a distribution center for homeless shelters. The shelter's site does not describe the Youth Bridge Program, so ask about it directly.

Safe Berks

Safe Berks shelters anyone escaping domestic violence or sexual assault. Its hotline page says every request for shelter goes through the 24-hour hotline, 844-789-SAFE (7233), or by texting SAFE BERKS to 20121, in English and Spanish. The safe house has room for 50 people for up to 30 days, with staff around the clock and a children's advocate on site. Services are free. The office is at 255 Chestnut St., Reading, PA 19602, 610-373-1206, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; the shelter's address is not published. Our protection from abuse guide covers the court order.

Family Promise of Berks County

Family Promise is at 325 N. 5th St. #1, Reading, PA 19601, 610-373-3323. Its Hospitality Network is a free 90-day shelter program for families with at least one child under 18 in their legal custody, with private sleeping quarters, meals and case management. To qualify, a family must have lived in Berks County at least 90 days, commit to a drug- and alcohol-free household, have "no recent history of violent crimes or child abuse," and be working or in school or looking. Apply by calling or visiting the Day Center at 325 N. 5th St.; the page says no appointment is needed "during intake hours" but does not print those hours. Its U-Turn program runs a drop-in center for homeless youth on Tuesdays and Thursdays 2 to 5 p.m., with showers, laundry, a mailing address and case management; BCEH's list says it serves teens and young adults up to age 24.

The Salvation Army Reading Citadel

The Salvation Army, 301 S. 5th St., Reading, PA 19602, 610-373-5208, does not run a shelter. BCEH's Get Help page lists it for rent, mortgage and utility help to prevent homelessness and for move-in help, and the July 2026 brochure marks its rent help as for city residents. The Salvation Army's Reading page names a rental assistance program and its Pathway of Hope program without listing eligibility rules or office hours, so call before you go.

Code Blue: what happens when it gets cold

Code Blue is the name for the emergency response when cold weather threatens the lives of people sleeping outside. The county has no Code Blue ordinance or page of its own. The only official county document is the presentation BCEH, Opportunity House, New Journey Community Outreach and Tower Health's Street Medicine program gave the commissioners on Sept. 29, which is in the Oct. 27 workshop packet. Its definitions slide puts Code Blue at December 1 through March 31 and Code Red, for dangerous heat, at June 1 through September 30. The proposed countywide policy would pay for daytime warming spaces, overnight beds and outreach and require participating shelters to lower intake barriers and share data. The draft minutes record BCEH's executive director asking the county for $100,000 for 2026 and $250,000 for 2027; the funding slide reads "$350,000 requested from County of Berks" and the same from Reading. As our Oct. 27 preview reported, no vote has been scheduled, and the request is not on the Nov. 5 agenda.

The temperature trigger comes from the city, not the county. When Reading and Opportunity House announced last winter's plan on Dec. 24, 2025, Berks Weekly reported that "A Code Blue is declared when temperatures fall to 32 degrees Fahrenheit or below, including wind chill," that Hope Rescue Mission offered its chapel to single men and agreed to lower its barriers, that Opportunity House set up 50 cots for single women in a former classroom and kept sheltering families, and that BCEH lined up churches for three to five more families. The city's website carries no Code Blue page or press release, so we cannot link an official version. The 211 listing for Opportunity House describes the trigger more loosely: it "extends its housing capacity when temperatures are below freezing, sub-zero, or in anticipation of a substantial snow storm." As of Nov. 5, no plan for the 2026-27 season has been published by the city, the county or the shelters. The city's announcement said to call 211 for Code Blue activation and resources; BCEH's shelter list says to call 211 for referrals. The Reading Eagle reported Oct. 13 that the coalition had put out a request for proposals for this winter's providers, with decisions expected by the end of October, ahead of the Dec. 1 start of the Code Blue season; nothing has been announced since.

The daytime piece last winter was New Journey Community Outreach, 138 S. 6th St., Reading, PA 19602, 610-375-2662. The county presentation says its warming center was open 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5 to 7:30 p.m., served 209 guests and more than 6,500 meals, and cost $31,927; seven in 10 guests stayed unsheltered all winter. Outside Code Blue, New Journey's hours page lists a lunch Monday through Friday 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and office hours 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Reading's proposed 2027 block-grant plan sets aside $500,000 toward a day shelter at 525 Franklin St. under New Journey's name, per our Oct. 28 story.

The Reading Eagle reported Oct. 13 that the groups sought the policy after a winter in which at least four unsheltered people reportedly died of cold exposure, that the city had committed $100,000 toward this winter, and that under the proposal a person using substances would still be admitted to Code Blue shelter. That last point describes a plan, not a published shelter rule.

If you sleep in your car

BCEH runs a Safe Parking Lot with a locked gate, lights, restrooms, hygiene supplies and a phone-charging station. The address is given only to people who need it. Call BCEH at 610-372-7222 during business hours; on evenings, weekends and holidays, call 211 and ask for the Safe Parking Lot.

Children and teens on their own

For a 14- to 17-year-old, Mary's Shelter's YESS program (above) is the walk-in option, and Family Promise's U-Turn drop-in center serves ages 17 to 24 by its own page, and up to 24 by BCEH's listing. The county itself runs the Berks County Youth Center Shelter Care program at 1040 Berks Road, Leesport, PA 19533, phone 610-396-0310 per the county's map gallery. The county page describes it as a "structured, nonsecure shelter" for ages 10 to 18 "who are experiencing challenges that make it unsafe for them to remain in the community." It does not describe walk-in intake, and Berks Weekly reported at its opening that it was built with Children and Youth Services and the probation office for juveniles "facing complex mental and behavioral challenges." Treat it as a placement through those agencies, not a door to knock on. A 211 listing also shows shelter care for ages 6 to 18 at Bethany Children's Home in Womelsdorf, by application. For school enrollment while homeless, the brochure lists the Berks County Intermediate Unit's Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness program at 610-987-8509.

Veterans

The VA's homeless page says a veteran who is homeless or at imminent risk of it should call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838, free, confidential and open 24 hours a day. Locally, the Veterans Multi-Service Center's Supportive Services for Veteran Families program, 645 Penn St., Reading, 610-314-4741, Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., helps low-income veteran families who are homeless or at risk, per its 211 listing. Opportunity House's shelter names veterans among the people it serves. The county Veterans Affairs office, 20 Commerce Drive, Wyomissing, 610-378-5601, is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. for benefits help. The Veterans Crisis Line is 988, press 1.

Money to stop an eviction or pay a deposit

Two public programs and a handful of nonprofits cover this.

• Emergency Shelter Allowance. The state Department of Human Services pays up to $400 to stop an eviction or foreclosure or to get into a short- or long-term place, once in any 12 months, per its ESA page. You must prove the emergency, show the money will solve it, and meet income limits the page sets at 80 percent of the federal poverty guidelines for people under 21 or families with a child under 21. Apply through the Berks County Assistance Office, 625 Cherry St., Reading, or on COMPASS; an interview is required but need not be in person. See our Assistance Office guide.
• Homeless Assistance Program. State HAP money comes to the county, which points residents to BCEH at 610-372-7222 on its HAP page. The page sets income at or below 200 percent of poverty, except that emergency shelter is "based solely on need."
• City residents: the Reading Human Relations Commission, City Hall Room 1-21, 610-655-6141, reviews rent and utility requests "on a case by case basis"; BCEH lists it for first month's rent, security deposits and limited eviction help inside the city, and the Salvation Army (above) for rent, mortgage and utility help to prevent a shutoff or eviction and for move-in costs.
• County residents outside Reading: BCEH lists Family Promise, but its rent and utility page says it is "not accepting applications" now and refers people to the Berks Community Action Program, the Human Relations Commission or the Salvation Army. The brochure also lists Catholic Charities, 610-376-7144. BCAP, 645 Penn St., third floor, 610-376-6571, handles one-time rental help and a mortgage program for owners who have received a sheriff's notice, per BCEH.

Heating help is separate; see our LIHEAP guide. For food, see the food bank guide, and for a mental health emergency, the crisis guide.

How many people, and who pays

BCEH counts the homeless population on one January night each year for HUD, the Point-in-Time count. The 2026 count, taken Jan. 28, 2026, found 734 people: 420 in emergency shelter, 101 in transitional housing and 213 unsheltered. Of them, 116 were under 18, 149 were chronically homeless and 49 were youth on their own. The historical table shows 682 in 2025 and 752 in 2024; the unsheltered count was under 20 every year through 2021. Tower Health's street medicine director told the commissioners in September that the count "is grossly underestimating" the number living outside; 211 logged 2,187 different people asking for housing help in the year ending June 30, 2026.

The money is a patchwork: HUD Continuum of Care grants through BCEH, Emergency Solutions Grants that the City of Reading passes to nonprofits, state HAP money through the county's Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities office, and federal welfare money the county shifts between accounts. The commissioners' Nov. 5 packet transfers $153,328 within Children Services' TANF accounts "to provide funds for increase in emergency shelter," without naming the shelter, per our Nov. 5 preview.

How to help

• BCEH's Give Help page asks for BARTA passes, toiletries, new blankets and pillows, sleeping bags and adult bicycles for its street outreach team, with an Amazon wish list, and routes volunteers through the United Way. Call 610-372-7222 to arrange a drop-off.
• Opportunity House's shelter needs page lists toothpaste, shampoo in plastic bottles, body wash, razors, men's and women's underwear, menstrual supplies and diapers; knock at the shelter door at 430 N. 2nd St., call ext. 221 for current needs, or use its clothing bins around the county.
• Hope Rescue Mission takes clothing at bins countywide and at its warehouse, 35 Queen St., Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., per its donate page; volunteers apply through its volunteer page or email volunteer@HopeForReading.org.
• Mary's Shelter takes gifts online and answers donation questions at 610-803-8010; Safe Berks posts a goods list; Family Promise, whose Monday meals are cooked by volunteers from local congregations, lists ways to give on its how to help page.

FAQ

Do I need ID to get into a shelter in Berks County?

None of the shelter websites lists identification as a requirement, and BCEH says you may skip any Coordinated Entry question. The Eagle reported in October that Code Blue organizers were looking for hotels that would take guests without identification, describing such requirements as obstacles that sometimes keep people outdoors. Bring whatever ID, benefit cards and medication you have, and ask when you call.

Can I bring my dog or cat?

Only one shelter publishes a pet rule: LightHouse allows uncaged pets in its one-to-three-night emergency shelter but not in transitional housing. Opportunity House, Hope Rescue Mission and Family Promise say nothing about pets on their sites. The Eagle reported that Code Blue organizers were talking with the Animal Rescue League and Humane Pennsylvania about temporary boarding; call 211 to ask.

How long can I stay?

It depends on the program: one to three nights in LightHouse's emergency shelter, up to 21 days at Mary's Shelter for teens, up to 30 days at the Safe Berks safe house, 90 days in Family Promise's family program, and up to six months in Hope Rescue Mission's Genesis shelter or LightHouse transitional housing. Opportunity House does not publish a limit.

Is there a shelter for families with children?

Yes: Opportunity House takes families with children accompanied by a legal guardian, Family Promise's Hospitality Network takes families with at least one child under 18 after 90 days of county residency, and LightHouse takes mothers with children but no adult men. Under last winter's Code Blue plan, Opportunity House kept sheltering families with short-term stays and BCEH placed three to five more families with churches.

Does Berks County have a warming center?

Not a county-run one. Last winter the warming center was New Journey Community Outreach at 138 S. 6th St. in Reading, open mornings and evenings during Code Blue, and it is the only daytime site named in the county presentation. Whether it opens on the same schedule this winter has not been announced; the Eagle reported that providers for this winter were to be chosen by the end of October for a Dec. 1 start. Call 211 once the weather turns.

Sources

• Berks Coalition to End Homelessness: homepage, Coordinated Entry, Shelters in the Area, Get Help, Safe Parking Lot, Give Help, Reports and Data, the 2026 Point-in-Time count, the 2009-2026 PIT table and the July 2026 resource brochure.
• PA 211 East: homepage, Berks County, the Berks housing report, July 2025 to June 2026, and listings for Opportunity House, the Veterans Multi-Service Center and Bethany Children's Home.
• Shelters: Opportunity House Emergency Housing, Contact, Locations and Shelter Needs; Hope Rescue Mission homepage, Programs, LightHouse, Donate Items and Volunteer; Mary's Shelter homepage, Need Help, Youth Services, Maternity and Family Services and Donations; Safe Berks Housing / Shelter, Hotline and Donate Goods; Family Promise Hospitality Network, U-Turn, Rent and Utility Assistance and How to Help; New Journey Community Outreach Hours.
• County of Berks: the Oct. 27 workshop packet with the Sept. 29 minutes and Code Blue/Code Red slides, the Nov. 5 commissioners packet, Homeless Assistance Program, Youth Center Shelter Care, GIS map gallery and Veterans Affairs.
• State and federal: Pa. DHS Emergency Shelter Allowance; VA Homeless Veterans.
• The Salvation Army: Reading, PA.
• City of Reading: Human Relations Commission and Emergency Solutions Grant. Berks Community Action Program.
• News reports, used for facts no official page carries: Berks Weekly, Dec. 24, 2025, Code Blue winter shelter plan and County unveils new Youth Shelter program; Reading Eagle, Oct. 13, 2026, Berks organizations seek coordinated approach to emergency homeless shelter.

Berks Coalition to End Homelessness: 600 Penn St., 3rd floor, Reading; 610-372-7222; Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Coordinated Entry walk-ins 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. PA 211 East: dial 211 or text your ZIP to 898-211, 24 hours. Opportunity House: 430 N. 2nd St., Reading, PA 19601; 610-374-4696, ext. 247; 24 hours. Hope Rescue Mission: 645 N. 6th St., Reading, PA 19601; 610-375-4224. LightHouse Women & Children's Center: 715 N. 6th St., Reading, PA 19601; 610-484-4495. Mary's Shelter: 615 Kenhorst Blvd., Reading, PA 19611; 610-376-1973, 24 hours; youth drop-in Monday through Friday 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Safe Berks: hotline 844-789-7233, text SAFE BERKS to 20121, 24 hours; office 255 Chestnut St., Reading, PA 19602, 610-373-1206, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Family Promise of Berks County: 325 N. 5th St. #1, Reading, PA 19601; 610-373-3323; U-Turn drop-in Tuesdays and Thursdays 2 to 5 p.m. New Journey Community Outreach: 138 S. 6th St., Reading, PA 19602; 610-375-2662; Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Salvation Army Reading Citadel: 301 S. 5th St., Reading, PA 19602; 610-373-5208. Berks County Youth Center Shelter Care: 1040 Berks Road, Leesport, PA 19533; 610-396-0310. Corrections: corrections@berksbeat.com.