FISCAL YEAR 2026 HOMELESSNESS SERVICES GRANTS FUNDING AWARD ANNOUNCED
The Lancaster County Homelessness Coalition is pleased to announce the recipients of the FY26 Homelessness Services Grants. These investments will support programs and services that prevent and address homelessness across Lancaster County while helping ensure that homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring.
The Lancaster County FY26 Homelessness Services Grants brings federal, state, local, and private funding
together into a single application and coordinated review, enabling strategic, collaborative investment
across the homeless response system.
This approach:
- reduces administrative burden for service providers
- improves alignment across funding sources
- allows resources to be directed where they can have the greatest impact
Prior to the creation of a joint funding initiative, service providers were required to submit separate
applications to individual funders. Over the past 10 years, the collaborative initiative process has allowed
funders to coordinate investments, reduce administrative burden on providers, and strategically direct
resources toward the community’s most pressing housing and homelessness needs.
The Homelessness Services Grant awards represent a collaborative partnership among local, state,
federal, and private funders committed to strengthening Lancaster County’s homelessness response
system. Through this coordinated approach, community partners work together to support emergency
shelter, homelessness prevention, rapid rehousing, street outreach, coordinated entry, supportive
services, and permanent housing solutions.
For the 2026 funding cycle, a total of $1,752,962 was awarded to organizations serving Lancaster City and
County residents experiencing or at risk of homelessness. This includes a $250,000 grant from the United
Way of Lancaster County, which is leveraged 3:1 through the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban
Development and ultimately provides $1 million in total award funding.
“No single organization can solve homelessness alone,” said Kate Zimmerman, President & CEO of United
Way of Lancaster County. “This collaborative grant process demonstrates our community’s commitment
to working together to address complex challenges. By aligning funding and reducing barriers for nonprofit
partners, we can invest more strategically in services that help individuals and families achieve housing
stability and the opportunity to thrive.”
Through another collaborative partnership, CrossNet Ministries was awarded $28,900 for Prevention &
Diversion Services, through the Community Foundation’s Katherine Gaeth Award. Katherine K. Gaeth was
committed to supporting direct human service needs to improve life for Lancaster County residents. Since
2015, the Katherine K. Gaeth Fund has exclusively supported direct human service programs focused on
homelessness prevention and housing diversion services.
This year, 13 agencies received funding through the 2026 Homelessness Services Grants. During this
cycle, 28 applications were submitted, representing nearly $4 million in identified community needs. The
significant gap between available funding and requested resources highlights the ongoing challenge of
meeting the demand for homelessness prevention, housing stability, and supportive services across
Lancaster County.
Recipients for 2026 grants for Day Center Programs included Columbia Dream Center, ECHOS, Lancaster
County Food Hub, and The Factory Ministries. Year-round Emergency Shelter program award recipients
include Columbia Dream Center, Community Action Partnership of Lancaster – Domestic Violence
Shelter, Tenfold Transitional Living Center, and YMCA of the Roses. Winter only Emergency Shelter award
recipients were ECHOS, Living Ministries and Tenfold Winter.
Additional program award recipients for Pathways Housing program, Prevention and Diversion and Street
Outreach include Columbia Dream Center, ECHOS, Tenfold, The Factory Ministries, CrossNet Ministries,
Good Samaritan Services, Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital, and Valley Youth House.
“We deeply commend these agencies for their dedication to putting clients first, especially in the face of
growing challenges,” said Deb Jones, Director of the Office for the Lancaster County Homelessness
Coalition. “These investments bolster Lancaster County’s homelessness response system and move us
closer to a community where every resident has a safe and stable place to call home.”
The Lancaster County Homelessness Coalition and the Lancaster County Homelessness Coalition’s
Steering Committee would like to thank each applicant and offer our sincere appreciation for the programs
and support you bring across the county. Lancaster County Homelessness Coalition serves as the
county’s Continuum of Care and brings together housing providers, service organizations, government
agencies, funders, and community stakeholders to address homelessness through coordinated planning,
advocacy, and service delivery. Together, these partners work to build a responsive and effective system
that supports individuals and families on their path to housing stability.