Quick answer: For homeless services Philadelphia residents can use, start with the Office of Homeless Services intake contact, or go to a drop-in hub during the day. The right shelter depends on who needs help and when.
The Office of Homeless Services (OHS) is the city department that leads the response. It states its aim as making homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring in Philadelphia, and it is organized into three divisions. To see where it sits among other departments, read how is philadelphia city government organized. This guide focuses on emergency shelter, intake and rehousing help, not on long-term affordable housing.
Choosing the right first step
Your starting point depends on the time of day, who is being helped and how urgent the need is. Use these situations to pick a route, then check the contact table that follows.
- Shelter needed now: begin with OHS intake. If it is outside ordinary hours, the Mike Hinson Resource Center is the city’s after-hours intake location.
- Somewhere to go during the day: a drop-in hub gives you a place to be and a way into services while you sort out a bed.
- A man seeking emergency shelter: Philly House runs a 30-day emergency shelter for men and is worth calling directly.
- A family: ask intake about family options. A daytime family center also operates on Cherry Street, and the shelter section below describes a family-oriented program with private rooms.
- Help paying to leave shelter: rental assistance exists for this purpose and is covered under rapid rehousing further down.
| Entry point | Contact and hours | Planning use |
|---|---|---|
| OHS intake referrals | Email [email protected] or call (215) 686-5671 | The first stop when arranging a shelter referral, whether for yourself or for someone you are supporting. |
| Mike Hinson Resource Center | (267) 737-9099 | The city’s after-hours intake location, so use it when ordinary office hours have passed. |
| Hub of Hope, 1400 Arch Street | Open Monday-Sunday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. | A daytime drop-in hub. Arrive within these hours. |
| Apple Tree Family Center, 1430 Cherry St | Open daily, 7 AM to 3 PM; (215) 686-7150 | Shorter hours than the hub, so plan to get there well before the afternoon closing time. |
| Philly House, 302 N. 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107 | Homeless Services Team, (215) 922-6400 ext. 1013 | Call about the men’s 30-day emergency shelter before travelling there. |
Contact details and hours come from Philly House’s help page and the Project HOME drop-in centers page; confirm hours by phone before travelling.
Emergency shelter options
Emergency shelter is short-term refuge. Philadelphia’s options differ in length of stay, who they serve and how you get in, so the type matters more than the name.
Men’s emergency shelter at Philly House
Philly House provides 30-day emergency shelter for men in need of refuge. A 30-day stay suits someone who needs a stable base while arranging the next step, but it is not a long-term answer, so ask about rehousing help early in the stay.
Larger programs: Red Cross House and HopePHL
According to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia shelter directory, Red Cross House houses up to 120 individuals at a time and aims to move clients into permanent housing in about 21 days. That is a goal for the program, not a promise for every guest. The same directory says HopePHL provides emergency, transitional and permanent housing to up to 220 men, women and children. HopePHL suits people who want a pathway from emergency housing toward something longer-term within one program.
Family shelter with private rooms
The same directory lists Salvation Army family shelter services as private rooms, three hot meals a day and case management. For parents with children, private rooms are the deciding feature, and case management is the link to the rehousing steps described below.
Short hotel or motel stays through HAP
Pennsylvania’s Homeless Assistance Program (HAP) has an emergency shelter component. The state Department of Human Services says that under certain circumstances HAP can pay to house individuals for an average of three to five days at a hotel or motel. Treat this as a stopgap while a longer placement is arranged. It is not a substitute for a shelter bed.
Rapid rehousing and rental help
Rapid rehousing is the step that moves someone out of shelter and into a permanent rental. In Pennsylvania, HAP funds this kind of help, and the state says HAP is administered by counties. Ask intake staff how to apply in Philadelphia rather than assuming a separate application route.
What the assistance covers
Under the state’s HAP description, rental assistance can move you out of a shelter or temporary housing into an affordable permanent living arrangement. Households may receive up to $1,000 if adult-only or $1,500 with children per 24 months. Those figures are ceilings, not a standard award, so plan on a smaller amount as a possibility. HAP also offers bridge housing, a stay in a shared facility or apartment for up to 18 months.
Who qualifies
The state sets the maximum income for HAP eligibility between 100% and 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. Some eligibility criteria can be waived if you need HAP services because of a disaster or domestic violence, and requests are evaluated on need. For background on household income across the city, see philadelphia poverty rate.
Rapid rehousing works as a bridge. If you need something that lasts beyond a short rental subsidy, affordable housing programs philadelphia covers the longer-term options.
When a shelter is full or help is hard to reach
Capacity is the most common obstacle. Philly House says it is generally at full capacity, especially during Code Blue or Code Red, so a bed may not be available on the day you ask.
- Call before you travel: a phone call to the shelter’s intake team saves a trip and tells you whether to look elsewhere.
- Move to another entry point: if one line is busy or a site is closed, try OHS intake by email or phone, then the after-hours Mike Hinson Resource Center once ordinary hours have passed.
- Use daytime hours well: the drop-in hubs open early, so go in the morning rather than late in the day, particularly for the family center with its shorter hours.
- Ask about the next step: once you reach a case manager or intake worker, ask about rental help so rehousing planning starts early.
Frequently asked questions
Can someone be discharged from a hospital or prison straight to a shelter?
Not without an OHS referral. Philly House states that discharges to it, or to any other shelter in Philadelphia, require submitting the referral to OHS, which handles these through the intake email and phone.
Where is the domestic violence shelter?
Women Against Abuse keeps its shelter location confidential to maintain client safety. The shelter directory lists its office at 100 S. Broad St., Suite 1341.
What if I need food, health or other services rather than a bed?
The Project HOME page points to 211sepa.org for food, health and human services across the Philadelphia region. You can also call 2-1-1 or text 898-211.
