COMMEMORATING 10 YEARS OF HOMELESS SERVICES AT PREVENTION POINT PHILADELPHIA

February 2025 marks 10 years of homeless services at Prevention Point Philadelphia (PPP)! From a 22-bed shelter in a single basement room to a three-floor, state-of-the-art facility housing over 60 people, our low-barrier homeless services have expanded to meet the needs of our vulnerable population. Since 2015, PPP has sheltered nearly 1,000 individuals while providing them with compassionate, wraparound medical and social services.  

Timeline of Homeless Services at PPP

• February 2015: In response to growing numbers of street homeless individuals in Kensington, PPP and Project HOME partner to open a nine-week Winter Respite for 22 men experiencing homelessness and opioid use disorder. The original respite was located in the basement community room of Project HOME’s headquarters at 1515 Fairmount.  
   

  

  
  

• Fall 2015: PPP and Impact Services convene the Kensington Homelessness Task Force, comprised of community stakeholders committed to increasing city attention and resources on homelessness and substance use in the neighborhood. 
  
  
• February 2016: The nine-week Point of Refuge (POR) winter respite opens in the basement of PPP’s main building at 2913 Kensington Avenue with beds for 23 men.  

• June 2016: The task force hosts Kensington Counts, a neighborhood homeless outreach and survey event, with hopes of creating a data snapshot to provide city partners. Kensington Counts ultimately leads to a strategic plan still used today. 
  
  
• December 2016: PPP receives its first Office of Homeless Services (OHS) contract to operate the POR winter respite, allowing for the hiring of dedicated shelter staff and one housing case manager. POR adds women's beds for the first time. 
  
  
• July 2017: PPP receives OHS funding to open POR year-round in the basement of the main building, with a capacity of 23 men and women. As a response to increasing street homelessness in Kensington and the Gurney Street encampment, PPP receives a Department of Behavioral Health contract to create a homeless outreach team. 
  
  
• August 2017: The Gurney Street encampment is cleared and fenced by city officials and Conrail. PPP and other partners are on-site during the three-day process to provide linkage to services including shelter and drug treatment.
   
• December 2017: The POR emergency respite moves to its new home at 2917 Kensington Avenue and increases capacity to 40 beds. 
   

• April 2018: Large encampments along the Lehigh Avenue underpasses spur the creation of a collaborative effort among PPP, Project HOME, ODAAT, and various city agencies called the Encampment Resolution Pilot. The Kensington Avenue and Tulip Street underpasses will be the first bridges to receive targeted engagement and be closed.
   
• May 2018: PPP opens the 40-bed Kensington Navigation Center as part of the Encampment Resolution Pilot. Kensington and Tulip Street underpasses are closed. 
   

• October 2018: The Frankford underpass is closed through the Encampment Resolution Pilot. 
  
  
• January 2019: Emerald underpass, the largest and most established encampment along Lehigh Avenue, is closed through the Encampment Resolution Pilot. 
  
  
• February 2019: Both PPP emergency housing sites become 24/7, allowing for the expansion of case management services and deeper collaboration with external providers. 
  
  
• June 2019: A one-year contingency management pilot starts in partnership with Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC). The project allows up to 60 residents to receive cash incentives for enrollment and attendance in medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) treatment as well as completion of necessary steps in their housing process. 
  
  
• March 2020: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a temporary third shelter location opens in order to socially distance residents.
   
  
• June 2020: The temporary third location closes. POR and the Navigation Center continue operations with a reduced total capacity of 65 residents. 
  
  
• July 2021: PPP Respite and PPP Navigation Center close. PPP Beacon House, a brand new 60-bed facility, opens on Temple Episcopal Hospital’s campus in the heart of Kensington. 
   
• February 2024: Nine additional beds are added at Beacon House to support individuals coming out of hospitalization as part of Project HOME’s Estadt-Lubert Collaborative.

Introduction to Low-barrier Shelter

Low-barrier shelter is a model of service provision designed to target individuals who historically were unable or unwilling to seek more traditional shelter services. It is set up to limit barriers to access and has simple, straight-forward expectations of residency with the primary goal of linking people to permanent housing. Examples of low barrier shelter practices include: allowing 24/7 access to the space with no curfew, allowing people to access the shelter while intoxicated, and granting access to people’s partners and pets.

Low-barrier shelter does NOT mean that anything goes. All shelter residents are required to abide by rules and expectations that focus on maintaining respect and safety within the facility.