Emergency Shelter Program
The ECHOS Emergency Shelter is a low-barrier facility that provides immediate, overnight accommodation for individuals and families experiencing homelessness in the Northwest region of Lancaster County. This shelter acts as an essential safety net, ensuring that no one has to face the risks and unpredictability of sleeping on the streets during the severe winter months.
Emergency Shelter Services
The Emergency Shelter provides comprehensive support to our neighbors in the Northwest region of Lancaster County. With the help of dedicated staff members and volunteers, ECHOS ensures that the immediate and complex needs of our guests are met. By addressing these immediate needs, we enable our neighbors to focus on achieving long-term stability.
The shelter includes essential amenities like:
Showers
Laundry Facilities
Family Rooms & Services
Full Kitchen & Dining Room
Help support our community today by donating essentials such as water, clothing, sleeping bags, and more through the ECHOS Amazon Wishlist. Your support helps give stability to our neighbors in need.
IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE?
ECHOS Emergency Shelter is open and operating from December 8, 2025, to April 10, 2026. Prescreening and intake for ECHOS Emergency Shelter (EES) will only be offered during business hours. If you arrive during EES opening hours or after intake hours, you will be turned away and must return the next morning for intake.
Intake can be scheduled up to a week before shelter is officially open. Schedule today through the appointment scheduler or by calling our office at 717-361-0740.
How to Access Shelter:
New Guest Intake Hours:
Monday-Thursday 9:00am - 3:00pm
Guests who have completed the prescreening/intake process may check-in starting at 6:30pm Monday-Sunday and guests must check out from shelter by 8:00am Monday-Sunday.
To be eligible for ECHOS Emergency Shelter you must:
Have a connection to Elizabethtown, Bainbridge, Rheems, Mount Joy, Marietta, or Maytown communities (i.e. employment in service areas, recent housing in service area, direct support in service area, families with children in Elizabethtown or Donegal School Districts)
Able to complete activities of daily living (ALDs)
Not a Megan’s Law offender
No criminal background suggesting a potential threat to others
Additional Information for Guests:
Contact us today!
Stay Connected
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This newsletter is released monthly for you, our clients, to get important updates and information from ECHOS at your fingertips.
WANT TO MAKE AN IMPACT?
ECHOS started in 2016 to address homelessness in Elizabethtown and has grown into a nonprofit serving over 400 households annually across Northwest Lancaster County. Through housing programs, eviction prevention, and emergency shelter, we empower families facing housing instability.
Volunteers are essential to our mission. Whether helping in shelters, supporting programs, or assisting at events, your time makes a real difference.
Join us in building a stronger community.
