April 01, 2026
Courtenay Harris Bond/Philly Voice
Katie Barnhart, of the Salvation Army, is helping run the city's new Hope 220 shelter and social services facility in Center City. Above, she poses in one of the facility's double rooms.
A 93-year-old woman experiencing chronic homelessness recently found permanent housing with the help of case managers at a new shelter and social services facility that opened in Center City.
Workers at the Hope 220 at 220 North Broad St. also recently helped another woman reconnect with her family and another access her late husband's death benefits.
"A lot of our folks are coming in and they just need to rest, and we've built what we really believe is a comfortable, dignified and beautiful space for them to do that," said Katie Barnhart, of the Salvation Army, which the city has contracted with to run the facility. "And then, once the dust has settled, 'What is it that you need to help you move on to the next point of your life?'"
The 92-bed facility, which opened in mid-January at the former Hahnemann University Hospital site, is part of Mayor Cherelle Parker's initiative to add 1,000 shelter beds. The 2025 Point-in-Time count identified 1,612 people experiencing chronic homelessness, up 50% from 1,080 in 2024.
The city's Office of Homeless Services is referring people to Hope 220 primarily through its intake centers. In addition to being a "soft-landing" place and meeting people's immediate needs – shelter, clothing, food – Hope 220 offers wrap-around services in a "one-stop shop," said Barnhart, assistant director of Philadelphia Social Service Ministries for the Salvation Army.
On-site case managers help Hope 220 residents apply for everything from state identification and social security cards to welfare and social security benefits and health insurance.
"Sometimes those systems are really difficult to navigate, especially for people who are already dealing with so many barriers," Barnhart said.
People will be able to receive group therapy, as well as financial literacy and workforce development programs. A $500,000 grant from PHL Cares, a business with the mission of ending chronic homelessness, will enable the Salvation Army to offer people other benefits, such as rent and utility assistance and transportation to reunite with family members. Hope 220 residents will also soon be able to get medical care on site through Jefferson Health.
The goal is for people to stay at Hope 220 up to 45 days. But "that's very flexible," Barnhart said.
And while the facility is open to single women right now — the population with the largest need — that too could shift.
"This is a new program," Barnhart said. "We're trying to see what works and what doesn't. We really want to set people up for success."
