Servants to All is a faith-based program and the Schuylkill County’s only emergency homeless shelter providing housing, case management, and material goods. Servants to All provides supportive services to homeless individuals in Schuylkill County and the surrounding counties in Pennsylvania. Established in 2012, the organization has grown from using mobile shelters and hotel/motel vouchers to having two permanent locations for its day program called My Father’s House, and an overnight shelter. My Father’s House is open to all community members in need. Morning prayer and gospel reflections are held daily for anyone that would like to participate. There is also chapel room for individual prayer. Servants to All has a library of resources for spiritual support. Servants to All also provides emergency food and clothing, transportation, computer access for job and housing searches, and case management. Individuals who have no other nighttime residence are provided emergency housing. There are no fees for any serves provided by Servants to All.
The Mission Statement of Servants to All reads: “Through the Love of the Father, we work to restore dignity, build integrity, instill accountability, and thus transform the lives of poor and displaced individuals and families. Our programs are tailored to foster self-reliance and sustainability by empowering individuals to make positive life choices. Because we are God’s first, we are servants to all”.
We believe in “community”; a cohesive society which encourages, supports, and provides opportunity for each member to realize the highest and best use of their God given talents. Being uniquely created by God with talent and dignity; every individual, especially the poor, homeless, and elderly, is meant by God to support and be supported by their community in order to create growth and flourish. No person is a solitary being.
On September 26, 2012 Servants to All incorporated and was granted tax exempt status under Section 501 (c)(3) of the IRS Code. From February 2014 to May 7, 2014 Servants to All operated a temporary winter shelter and rotated its program between churches. On December 1, 2014 Servants to All purchased the day program building located on Centre Street in Pottsville. From December 8, 2014 through March 15, 2015 Servants to All opened to distribute clothing and supplies to the poor and homeless during the cold winter months. On June 19, 2015, Servants to All was granted an occupancy permit from the City. November 11, 2015, Servants to All opened My Father’s House. On November 15, 2016, Servants to All opened its overnight men’s shelter in permanent location at the United Presbyterian Church in Pottsville and has been striving since. In February 2018, Servants to All expended services to both men and women at the overnight shelter.
Today, Servants to All employees 10 employees and over 50 volunteers continue the work that our board of directors began in 2012. The board of directors began Servants to All with the mission to help those in need, and be servants of our heavenly Father. The current board is comprised of 14 individuals from Schuylkill County with Catholic values and bring diverse skills, experience and perspective to the program. The Executive Director reports directly to the Executive Board, and is a non-voting member of the board. The Executive Director for Servants to All is in charge of the day to day operations of the shelter program.
At the time Servants to All was formed, there were no homeless shelters in Schuylkill County for men and women, but a greater need existed and was going unmet. People in the area found themselves homeless for a wide variety of reasons, including alcohol or drug issues, loss of employment, or illness. For these individuals, limited homeless service providers meant that transitioning back into life after homelessness was a challenge which may have seemed insurmountable. People who found themselves in desperate situations now have one centralized location where they can receive housing, meals, case management, and referrals that are best suited to fit all of their needs.
The individuals we serve are offered intensive supportive services at My Father’s House. These services include referrals to other human service agencies, transportation assistance, assistance with housing, benefit, or employment applications, goal planning (housing, income, and personal wellness), health and wellness, identification and card replacement, GED and other educational assistance, and other services.
Many of our former clients have moved on from homelessness and now have a stable job and housing situation. These success stories are truly the heart of Servants to All’s work as an organization, but the reality is that for many of these individuals, progress was not always a clear-cut, straight line. Servants to All cooperates with other human service agencies to work toward constant improvement when clients’ needs are not able to be met in-house. For this vulnerable population of homeless and severely economically struggling individuals, many resources are needed to get and keep them on the path toward sustainable independence.
In 2018, Servants to All provided emergency housing to 146 new individuals and met material needs for an additional 309. Those 146 homeless individuals were offered intensive supportive services at Servants to All. During the next 12 months, we expect to provide house to over 150 different individuals and assist over 500 individuals with personal needs. www.servantstoall.org