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Category: Impact Story

Overcoming Homelessness to Spread Compassion

Tom was living in his truck, now he’s spreading compassion. After a 44-day stint in the hospital, Tom found himself homeless and the safest place he could be was living in his truck in a parking garage. That summer he had contracted a staph infection that affected his wrists and spine. Weeks later, he was […]

Compassion Changed Everything for Bruce

Compassion Changed Everything for Bruce When Bruce first connected with Good Samaritan Services, he was living in a tent under a bridge with his son, JJ. As winter approached, Bruce was offered a place to stay with a family member on one condition: JJ couldn’t come. For Bruce, the choice was easy. He would not […]

From Tent to Home: Mercedes’ Story of Determination and Community

This is how futures are transformed. During the coldest months of the year, Mercedes was living in a tent, walking over an hour to her late-night food service job each day. But after a year of homelessness, Mercedes was finally able to find a home at Good Sam. With support from our team, a volunteer […]

How KC Found Purpose and Stability Through Good Sam

For KC, coming to Good Sam was a direct answer to prayer. After losing his well-paying job, his savings quickly dwindled, and he had to leave his apartment and eventually even had to sell his car. With winter in full swing and nowhere to go, KC found temporary refuge at Ann’s Heart Winter Shelter while […]

Sonya’s Story

Stability Starts with You! As a proud Good Sam graduate, Sonya is grateful for the tools she gained in our program—tools that helped her build lasting stability. At Good Sam, we don’t believe in quick fixes. We walk alongside each person with compassion and personalized support, equipping them to live independently long after they graduate. […]

Holding the Keys to a New Start: John’s Story

Your support helps create new beginnings. Meet John. After losing his home due to alcoholism and eviction, he ended up in Good Sam’s emergency shelter. With a lot of hard work, he tackled every goal we put before him—securing an income, getting a job, etc. Soon, he was the first participant to go through every […]

“Honey, I’m Home:” A Family Reunited

Your support helps families create brighter futures. Kieona and Pedro didn’t just find housing, they were reunited with their children. They became the first two-parent family Good Sam was able to house under one roof. And because of that stability, they were able to reunite with their kids, who had been in foster care. This […]

“Sometimes You Just Need a Little Support.”

At 22, Alexa found her passion—helping others heal. She started working at a rehabilitation center, providing treatment for individuals struggling with addiction and mental health challenges. The work was heavy, but it was meaningful. She stayed for over eight years, never imagining a reason to leave. “I truly grew up there,” she says. “At that […]

Supported to Thrive: Matt and Ava’s Story

Caring for a child with a serious illness or disability is one of the toughest challenges a parent can face. The constant medical appointments, hospital stays, and around-the-clock care often mean parents have to cut back on work—or stop working altogether. Without a steady income, keeping up with rent or mortgage payments can feel impossible. […]

Finding Family at Good Sam

In Pennsylvania, the average rental cost of a one-bedroom apartment is $1,478. That means that someone earning minimum wage would need to work over 47 hours a week and spend every single penny on rent to afford a one-bedroom apartment—leaving nothing left for other essentials. This makes finding housing challenging if not nearly impossible for […]

A Second Chance at Hope: Kevin’s Story

“Good Sam’s Help Allowed Me to Change Perspective” Looking at Kevin, you’d never know the journey he’s been through and both the mental and physical challenges he had to overcome to get to where he’s at today. His story is one of perseverance and patience—and the faithfulness of God. May of 2023, Kevin was laid […]

Paving the Way for Her Son

For Daja, getting connected with Good Sam meant the chance to give her son a better life. For months, Daja was overpaying for the small, run-down house she lived in with her now 11-year-old son and was often required by her landlord to pay for things that were not her responsibility as a renter. With […]

Excited for the Future: Ebony’s Story

Excited for the Future: Ebony’s Story Ebony, a Good Sam graduate, achieved some incredible milestones during her time in our program: securing a job, signing a lease for her family of four, and completing her first year toward a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Together, we can love our neighbors well. Your support helps make futures […]

Kay’s Story: Back on Her Own Two Feet

Kay’s Story: Back on Her Own Two Feet Kay’s life now is completely different from her life a year ago and the proud smile on her face says it all. A single mother of three children, Kay made ends meet by working a part-time job at a local hospital and picking up plenty of extra […]

Ramon’s Journey from Homelessness to Stability as a Single Father

https://youtu.be/VJh6jiWltV4?feature=shared At Good Sam, we are committed to continually growing to better serve our communities. Over the past year, we identified an unmet need: an increasing number of single dads experiencing homelessness and lacking resources. In response, we pivoted to dedicate one of our properties to housing single fathers and their children. As a single […]

Behind the Wheel of Hope: Joe’s Story

Think about the countless destinations you’ve reached in the past 15 years: your workplace, doctor’s appointments, grocery runs, your children’s schools. Now, imagine navigating those journeys without the freedom of a driver’s license. After a decade and a half without a driver’s license, Joe recently took the necessary steps and successfully got it reinstated! He […]

From Seeking Shelter to Shaping Lives

After fleeing from an abusive relationship with her two young boys, Ashley had no idea where she was going to live. When she moved into Good Sam’s housing, she began setting goals, budgeting, saving money, meeting weekly with a mentor, and rebuilding a sense of confidence and self-worth. “This is the first time my kids […]

Spreading Joy

Spreading Joy Thanks to all of our wonderful supporters who donated gifts, stockings, and Christmas meals for the individuals and families in our program, we were able to put smiles on over 300 faces this holiday season!

Eternally Grateful: Daiana’s Story

Daiana entered our program as a single mother of three, having rented the same apartment for four years. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, her landlord began continuously raising her rent. Simultaneously, Daiana was furloughed from her job. The landlord suggested seeking assistance from ERAP (Emergency Rental Assistance Program), but when Daiana secured a new job, […]

Finally Finding It: Hope!

Depression had been a constant companion for Craig, often keeping him in bed for days on end and making it challenging to hold down a job. During one particularly dark period, Craig’s girlfriend ended their relationship and asked him to move out of their shared apartment. With nowhere to go, Craig felt completely lost and even […]

Meet Anrifat

After making the difficult decision to leave an abusive marriage, Anrifat and her 10-year-old son moved into emergency housing at Good Sam. Anrifat’s top priority was having a place to call home where her son, who is on the autism spectrum, would feel comfortable and safe. She feels blessed to have found that at Good […]

Building a Brighter Future: Alberto’s Story

Meet Alberto, the first person to move into Good Sam’s Kennett Square property as part of our emergency housing program! Alberto is from Venezuela and came to America looking for opportunities to better support his family. While here, he struggled to find housing and eventually was connected with Good Sam. Alberto says he now considers […]

Breaking the Cycle: Co-Parenting & Conquering Homelessness

For Brandon and Alison, providing a better future for their two children, Raylan (7) and Rosalee (3), was the driving factor behind seeking help from Good Sam. Struggling with substance abuse, they lost their housing and were staying with a family member. They felt their drug use was fueled by tension in this living environment […]

Compassion Conquering Obstacles

Randy has not had an easy life. His father left the picture when he was just five years old, and his childhood memories include a house filled with violence, poverty, and drug and alcohol abuse. Randy remembers a constant feeling of loneliness as a child. “Going to school, I always felt like an outcast. I […]

Turning Pain Into Purpose

“My husband and I decided to make a monetary donation to Good Samaritan Services in honor of our daughter, Liz, who along with her husband, Ryan, have started volunteering at Good Sam in Ephrata, helping wherever they are needed and very excited to do so. It’s heartwarming to hear Liz tell stories of the good […]

Seeing the Light at the End of the Tunnel

Doris came to Good Sam in a panic. After receiving an eviction notice, she had attempted to get help from many organizations, but continued to encounter barriers to assistance. “It was almost like I needed to be worse off to get help. Since I still had my home, I wasn’t “homeless,” so a lot of […]

Homeless to Homeowner

Barnaby felt completely lost after his family experienced a wrongful eviction. While staying in a friend’s basement with his two children, he decided he needed to seek help. Barnaby approached his employer for support and advice, who then recommended he contact Good Sam. “I felt a lot of trepidation about asking for help. To me, […]

Compassion is Contagious

One morning, 51-year-old Kenneth woke up in his car in the parking lot of a Walmart and realized he needed to take steps to transform his life. After ending a toxic relationship that forced Kenneth to leave a comfortable two-bedroom apartment he had shared with his partner, combined with an inconsistent income as a full-time […]

Shannon Eight Years Later…

Shannon didn’t feel safe at home. She and her 6-year-old son were living in a dangerous situation involving an alcoholic father. Unable to get her son’s father to leave, she had no place to turn. The next day after dropping her son off at school, another parent’s mother shared the option of Good Sam’s Emergency […]

Steinman Foundation Funds Winter Shelter Success

Good Samaritan Services’s Winter Shelter was an enormous collaborative effort from the Lancaster County community, and we are thrilled to report on its success. Between December 1st, 2020, and March 16th, 2021, Good Sam was able to provide 781 nights of shelter, over 1,500 meals, and continued support to those who utilized our facility. This […]

Carol’s Journey with Good Sam

…and a look at her path to stability. In an effort to leave a domestic violence situation, Carol and her young son entered Good Sam’s Emergency Shelter in Lancaster County in December of 2019. Between then and now, Carol has made great gains in her stability and emotional health. Carol gained full-time employment just before […]

A Family Finds Hope

One of Good Sam’s first dual-parent households was served by our Housing Support Services program recently!  Taken advantage of by a conman, this family was scammed into paying for an apartment that was never actually available for rent. This family paid a couple of thousand dollars just to move in. Soon afterward, they found the […]

Through It All

The story of one man’s journey through Good Sam’s Housing Programs. Journeys through homelessness aren’t always what you’d expect. Often times it’s one unfortunate circumstance that leads to a downward spiral. The loss of a job, a sick child, or an accident in the workplace. Sometimes it’s as simple as broken relationships.  Often times we […]

There Is No Shame Here

It wasn’t too long ago that Marion was a newcomer here at Good Sam. Just a regular guy, going to work and living life. No one would ever imagine he’d find himself homeless, least of all himself. A few wrong turns on investments and that’s exactly where he found himself. Desperation led to the realization […]

First Family in New Apartment

Last month we were able to move a family of three (a single mom and two teenagers) into affordable housing through our partnership with The Well. This will be the first family in our Housing Support Services to take advantage of this new partnership! This family is now safe, in affordable housing. Mom is now […]

From Chaos to Peace

I hurried inside the Phoenixville office and shook the droplets off my umbrella. It was gray and sad outside, but stepping into that office was like walking into the sunshine. Gina’s cheerful smile welcomed me in as Rich shook my hand, inviting me to the round table where two gentlemen sat. It was early, and […]

From Homeless to House Manager

Walking into the emergency shelter in Ephrata I am always struck with a sense of amazement. The realization that at any moment I am within arms distance of women who have not only overcome mountainous hurdles but conquered them, is a humbling notion. Stepping over the threshold from street to a safe haven is an […]