In 2002, Good Samaritan Services (GSS) purchased its first property in Phoenixville, where it was able to serve five people at a time. Nineteen years later, GSS has acquired 13 different properties and can serve 200 people every day. GSS came to the Lancaster County area in 2011 after opening an emergency shelter in Ephrata, which provides housing for women and children.

GSS provides a full continuum of care to individuals and families experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. Some of the services offered by GSS include eviction prevention, emergency shelter, traditional housing, affordable housing, and permanent housing services across Lancaster and Chester counties. The organization's end goal is to empower people to feel confident and capable enough to maintain their own safe and stable housing.

"Our organization is unique in that we can help people with stable housing regardless of where they are in their journey," stated GSS development and communications coordinator Shadoe Caprell. "A lot of times, people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness can't receive assistance from agencies unless they reach the definition of homelessness. We can fill in the cracks."

Since July 2020, GSS has served nearly 400 men, women, and children through its emergency shelter, residential housing, and housing support programs; provided nearly $90,000 in rental assistance, including 18 eviction preventions; and helped 53 individuals and families successfully complete their programs and find stable housing.

"I get to meet individuals in our shelter and hear their stories," said Caprell. "They're all such wonderful, beautiful people. There's such a stigma that comes with homelessness, but it's so far from the truth. Anyone can become homeless at the drop of a dime."

Ninety-seven percent of GSS' funding comes from community donations and fundraisers such as the annual Engle Printing & Publishing Co., Inc. (EPC) Golf Outing. The 14th annual EPC Golf Outing will take place on Friday, June 11, at Crossgates Golf Club, 1 Crossland Pass, Millersville, with tee times at 7 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Meals, beverages, and snacks will be provided, and participants will have chances to win prizes throughout the golf course. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to GSS.

"With COVID, people have been hit really hard this past year, so there are many people in need of the services that GSS offers," noted EPC marketing director Lauren Hillegas. "You could be helping a family member or your neighbor."

Caprell said one of the biggest reasons to attend the event is that events such as the EPC Golf Outing are important to the funding of GSS. "This event can help hundreds and hundreds of people and provide them with a safe place to call home," she emphasized. "Your donation and participation will make a direct impact on the community."

To date, the EPC Golf Outing has raised more than $100,000 for charity.

Preregistration is required and can be completed up to 48 hours before the event. For more information about the EPC Golf Outing, to register to play, or to sponsor the event, visit http://www.epcgolfouting.com. To learn about the services GSS offers in Lancaster and Chester counties, visit http://www.goodsamservices.org.