Services

What we do

The Office of Homeless Services works with more than 60 homeless housing and service providers, as well as city, state, and federal governments. Together, we make up Philadelphia’s homeless service system.

This system provides homelessness prevention and diversion aid, as well as emergency and temporary housing, to people who are experiencing homelessness and those at risk of homelessness.

Get help

If you’re living outdoors

If you are or see someone living outdoors, call the City’s Homeless Street Outreach Hotline at (215) 232-1984. The Outreach team can help you find or get to a City-funded homeless intake center. Anyone who needs shelter can visit the centers.

If you’re facing homelessness

Call the Homelessness Prevention InfoLine at (215) 686-7177 and follow the instructions.
Visit a City-funded homeless intake center.
If you still have questions, email the OHS Prevention, Diversion, and Intake Unit at OHSPrevention@phila.gov.

Connect

Address	1401 John F. Kennedy Blvd. 10th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19102
Email	ohs@phila.gov
	Phone: (215) 686-7175 ask a question (215) 232-1984 help a person on the street
Social	Twitter

Posts

Staff member shown inside RDC intake center seated at a computer, visible through a big glass window marked "Prevention, Diversion & Intake"

Post

OHS Shelter Services Will Be Available During Eagles Parade

February 13, 2025

Philadelphia's LOVE sculpture in Winter, with the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in the background

Post

What Happens During a Code Blue and How to Get Help

January 7, 2025

Post

A Chat with New OHS Executive Director, Cheryl Hill

December 20, 2024

See all posts

Events

May

29

Event

OHS Service Connection/Site Clean-up Day

All Day

PATCO train station, 13th & 15th Locust Street
Event

OHS Service Connection/Site Clean-up Day

May 29, 2025
All Day

PATCO train station, 13th & 15th Locust Street
map
A Service Connection/Site Clean-up will occur today at:
- PATCO Train Station (13th/15th Locust Street)
About Service Connection/Site Clean-up Days
Office of Homeless Services Encampment Resolution Team (ERT) staff members join the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services’s (DBHIDS) Homeless Street Outreach Team (Outreach) and the City’s Sanitation Department to conduct *Service Connection/Site Clean-up Days. OHS’s ERT staff schedules and leads service connection clean-ups at various selected outdoor encampment locations in Philadelphia.
How it Works
The teams post signs in advance to alert people living in tents, RVs, makeshift shelters,or none at all, on sidewalks, under bridges, in parks, empty fields, lots,etc., of upcoming service days. Each service day, the teams visit the encampment sites to offer individuals services, such as rides to a City intake center where staff can help find shelter space, Stranded Traveler Assistance, behavioral health, drug or medical treatment, and other similar services. The Sanitation Department team further assists by cleaning up accumulated trash.
* Servicedays are not the same as formal, encampment resolutions, which, while social services-led, involve many more City of Philadelphia departments and nonprofit partners and follow specific protocols regarding personal property storage, notification, and other requirements.

May

30

Event

Kensington Service Connection/Site Clean-up Day

All Day

Multiple Kensington locations
Event

Kensington Service Connection/Site Clean-up Day

May 30, 2025
All Day

Multiple Kensington locations
map
Service Connection/Site Clean-ups will occur today at these Kensington locations:
- 707-711 E. Allegheny Avenue
- 807-841 E. Allegheny Avenue
- 3100 Kensington Avenue
- 3241 Kensington Avenue
- 1900 E. Lippincott St. (corner of Jasper Street)
- 1800 E. Clearfield Street
- 1800 E. Orleans Street
- 1800 E. Cambria Street
- 1800-1813 E. Hart Lane (both sides)
- 1921-1926 E. Hart Street
- 2899 Ruth Street and Hart Lane (corner)
- 1800 E. Somerset Street (both sides)
- 400 E. Somerset Street (both sides)
- 2800-2828 Kensington Avenue
- 2700 Emerald Street
- 2000 E. Sterner Street
- 2000 E. Silver Street
- 1800 E. Harold Street (corner)
- 2600 N. B Street (next to the Huntingdon EL stop)
About Service Connection/Site Clean-up Days
Office of Homeless Services Encampment Resolution Team (ERT) staff members join the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services’s (DBHIDS) Homeless Street Outreach Team (Outreach) and the City’s Sanitation Department to conduct *Service Connection/Site Clean-up Days. OHS’s ERT staff schedules and leads service connection clean-ups at various selected outdoor encampment locations in Philadelphia.
How it Works
The teams post signs in advance to alert people living in tents, RVs, makeshift shelters, or none at all, on sidewalks, under bridges,in parks, empty fields, lots, etc., of upcoming service days. Each service day, the teams visit the encampment sites to offer individuals services, such as rides to a City intake center where staff can help find shelter space, Stranded Traveler Assistance, behavioral health, drug or medical treatment, and other similar services. The Sanitation Department team further assists by cleaning up accumulated trash.
* Service days are not the same as formal, encampment resolutions, which, while social services-led, involve many more City of Philadelphia departments and nonprofit partners and follow specific protocols regarding personal property storage, notification, and other requirements.
May

30

Event

OHS Service Connection/Site Clean-up Day

All Day

Multiple Philadelphia locations
Event

OHS Service Connection/Site Clean-up Day

May 30, 2025
All Day

Multiple Philadelphia locations
map
A Service Connection/Site Clean-up will occur today at:
- Camac Street and Race Street
- 5th Street and Callowhill Street
- 6th Street and Callowhill Street
- 5th Street and Wood Street
- 6th Street and Wood Street
- Broad Street and Snyder Avenue
- Broad Street and Passyunk Avenue
About Service Connection/Site Clean-up Days
Office of Homeless Services Encampment Resolution Team (ERT) staff members join the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services’s (DBHIDS) Homeless Street Outreach Team (Outreach) and the City’s Sanitation Department to conduct *Service Connection/Site Clean-up Days. OHS’s ERT staff schedules and leads service connection clean-ups at various selected outdoor encampment locations in Philadelphia.
How it Works
The teams post signs in advance to alert people living in tents, RVs, makeshift shelters,or none at all, on sidewalks, under bridges, in parks, empty fields, lots,etc., of upcoming service days. Each service day, the teams visit the encampment sites to offer individuals services, such as rides to a City intake center where staff can help find shelter space, Stranded Traveler Assistance, behavioral health, drug or medical treatment, and other similar services. The Sanitation Department team further assists by cleaning up accumulated trash.
* Servicedays are not the same as formal, encampment resolutions, which, while social services-led, involve many more City of Philadelphia departments and nonprofit partners and follow specific protocols regarding personal property storage, notification, and other requirements.

Jun

13

Event

OHS Service Connection/Site Clean-up

All Day

4600 Market St.
Event

OHS Service Connection/Site Clean-up

June 13, 2025
All Day

4600 Market St.
map
A Service Connection/Site Clean-up will occur today at:
- 46^th and Market (4600 Market St.)
About Service Connection/Site Clean-up Days
Office of Homeless Services Encampment Resolution Team (ERT) staff members join the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services’s (DBHIDS) Homeless Street Outreach Team (Outreach) and the City’s Sanitation Department to conduct *Service Connection/Site Clean-up Days. OHS’s ERT staff schedules and leads service connection clean-ups at various selected outdoor encampment locations in Philadelphia.
How it Works
The teams post signs in advance to alert people living in tents, RVs, makeshift shelters, or none at all, on sidewalks, under bridges, in parks, empty fields, lots,etc., of upcoming service days. Each service day, the teams visit the encampment sites to offer individuals services, such as rides to a City intake center where staff can help find shelter space, Stranded Traveler Assistance, behavioral health, drug or medical treatment, and other similar services. The Sanitation Department team further assists by cleaning up accumulated trash.
* Service days are not the same as formal, encampment resolutions, which, while social services-led, involve many more City of Philadelphia departments and nonprofit partners and follow specific protocols regarding personal property storage, notification, and other requirements.