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 […]
