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Resources in Pennsylvania

73 listings. Please call ahead — hours and services change.

Adoption

  • Bethanna — Adoption

    Christian child-welfare agency and SWAN affiliate that recruits, trains and supports adoptive families for children in foster care who cannot return home, with services before, during and after adoption.

  • Pennsylvania Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network (SWAN)

    Statewide

    Pennsylvania's network for adopting children from foster care, funded and overseen by the Department of Human Services; the SWAN helpline answers questions about adoption and permanency.

Free / Subsidized Childcare

  • Allegheny Intermediate Unit — Head Start

    Head Start for eligible preschool children in Allegheny County, in classrooms or at home, with health and wellness, social services and family engagement. Families receiving TANF or SSI, experiencing homelessness, fostering, or within the income guidelines qualify. Call 412-394-4594 to enroll.

  • Community Action Partnership of Lancaster County — Head Start (Thrive to Five)

    Lancaster County's Head Start provider: home-based and centre-based early learning for eligible children from birth to age 5, with extended-day options and support for caregivers too. CAP also runs Parents as Teachers home visiting from pregnancy.

  • Head Start & Early Head Start

    Nationwide

    Free preschool, child care and family support for eligible families. Find a program near you online or by phone (Mon–Fri 8–6 ET).

Churches / Baby Closets

  • Align Pregnancy Services (Align Life Ministries)

    Free pregnancy tests, first-trimester ultrasounds, prenatal and parenting classes, and baby care essentials for mothers and fathers choosing to parent, at four centres: Lancaster, Lebanon, Ephrata and Columbia. Formerly Susquehanna Valley Pregnancy Services.

  • Genesis Women's Clinic

    Free pregnancy tests and first-trimester ultrasounds in Pottstown and Phoenixville, with free supplies for mothers who choose life: diapers, formula, baby food, clothing and kids' accessories.

  • Women's Choice Network

    Free pregnancy testing, ultrasound and STD testing in Pittsburgh and Monroeville. Participants in its parenting programs can receive free baby supplies: diapers, clothes, and larger items like cribs and car seats.

Clothing / Supplies

  • Align Pregnancy Services (Align Life Ministries)

    Free pregnancy tests, first-trimester ultrasounds, prenatal and parenting classes, and baby care essentials for mothers and fathers choosing to parent, at four centres: Lancaster, Lebanon, Ephrata and Columbia. Formerly Susquehanna Valley Pregnancy Services.

  • Genesis Women's Clinic

    Free diapers, formula, baby food, clothing and kids' accessories for mothers who choose life, plus free pregnancy tests and first-trimester ultrasounds, in Pottstown and Phoenixville.

  • Providence Pregnancy Center

    Free, caring support for pregnant women in Northeastern Pennsylvania: friendship and encouragement, free baby items (diapers, wipes, clothing, toiletries and baby gear) from local donors, education videos, and the Casa de Maria maternity home.

Domestic Violence

  • Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence — Find Help

    Statewide

    Find your local domestic violence program with PCADV's Pennsylvania directory: shelter, counseling and advocacy, plus free civil legal information. In an emergency call 911; the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233.

  • love is respect (National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline)

    Nationwide

    Free, confidential 24/7 help for teens and young adults in unhealthy or abusive relationships. Text LOVEIS to 22522, or chat online.

  • National Domestic Violence Hotline

    Nationwide

    Confidential support 24/7 for anyone experiencing abuse.

  • StrongHearts Native Helpline

    Nationwide

    Free, confidential 24/7 support for Native Americans and Alaska Natives affected by domestic and sexual violence, by phone, text or chat.

  • The Deaf Hotline

    Nationwide

    24/7 domestic-violence support for Deaf, DeafBlind and hard-of-hearing survivors, by videophone, chat or email (deafhelp@thehotline.org).

Employment

  • Dress for Success Erie

    Interview attire by agency referral, a career centre and support programs for women seeking work, now at the Mercy Anchor Community Center.

  • Dress for Success Greater Philadelphia

    Free services for women seeking work: interview attire and career support through partner referral agencies.

  • Dress for Success Pittsburgh

    Interview and first-weeks-on-the-job attire (by referral from a partner agency once you have an interview), a career centre and employment-retention programs for women.

  • PA CareerLink

    Statewide

    Pennsylvania's job centres and job board: search jobs, find your local CareerLink office, and reach employment and training programs, including vocational rehabilitation for people with disabilities.

  • American Job Centers (CareerOneStop)

    Nationwide

    Free local help with job searches, training and career services. Find your nearest American Job Center online or by phone.

  • Dress for Success

    Nationwide

    Professional clothing and career support for women. Find your local Dress for Success on the website.

  • Easterseals — Employment Services

    Nationwide

    Job training and employment support for people with disabilities through local Easterseals affiliates.

  • Goodwill Career Centers

    Nationwide

    Free job training, career coaching, résumé and interview help at local Goodwill career centers.

Potential Financial Assistance

  • The Salvation Army — Western Pennsylvania Division

    Statewide

    Emergency utility, mortgage and rent assistance from the Salvation Army's Western Pennsylvania Division to help families struggling to pay basic bills stay in their homes; local teams assess each family's needs. Eastern Pennsylvania is served by the Eastern Pennsylvania & Delaware Division (salvationarmyusa.org).

  • Catholic Charities USA (Find a Local Agency)

    Nationwide

    Find the Catholic Charities agency serving your area for emergency, family and housing help.

  • Modest Needs

    Nationwide

    Small one-time grants for working individuals and families facing an emergency expense. Apply online.

  • Society of St. Vincent de Paul

    Nationwide

    Parish volunteers who help neighbors in need. The national office does not give direct help: ask your nearest Catholic parish for its St. Vincent de Paul conference.

  • The Salvation Army

    Nationwide

    Emergency rent, utility and other assistance through local Salvation Army offices nationwide.

Food Programs

  • Central Pennsylvania Food Bank — Find Food

    More than 1,100 soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters and social programs across the 27 counties the food bank serves; search for food near you. Warehouses in Harrisburg, Williamsport and Hollidaysburg.

  • Helping Harvest — Find Food

    Fighting hunger in Berks and Schuylkill counties for over 40 years; use the food map to find a pantry or meal site.

  • Philabundance — Find Food

    The Delaware Valley's food bank: use the food map to find a pantry or meal site near you.

  • Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania — Find Food

    Serves Lehigh, Northampton, Carbon, Monroe, Pike and Wayne counties through partner pantries and meal sites; find food near you.

  • Feeding America (Find Your Local Food Bank)

    Nationwide

    Enter your ZIP code to find the food bank, pantries and meal programs serving your community.

  • USDA National Hunger Hotline (Hunger Free America)

    Nationwide

    Connects you with nearby food banks, meal sites and programs like SNAP and WIC. Mon–Fri 8 a.m.–8 p.m. ET. En español: 1-877-842-6273.

Health Assistance

  • PHMC Health (Public Health Management Corporation)

    Federally qualified health centres in Philadelphia offering primary care, women's health, and mental health and substance-use care. Care for all patients regardless of ability to pay, with a sliding fee scale for uninsured and underinsured patients.

  • Primary Health Network

    Community health centres across Pennsylvania with a sliding fee discount for income-eligible uninsured or underinsured patients, plus help with health insurance.

  • Nurse-Family Partnership — Pennsylvania

    Statewide

    A registered nurse visits expectant parents at home during pregnancy and the child's first years, about two and a half years in all. Pennsylvania has 17 local programs, including Philadelphia, Allegheny, Lancaster, York, Chester, Berks, Schuylkill and Wyoming counties, Bethlehem, and hospital-based programs (UPMC, Geisinger, Lehigh Valley, Einstein, Robert Packer). Nurse-Family Partnership is now run by Changent.

  • Pennsylvania Medical Assistance (Medicaid) — Apply

    Statewide

    Health coverage for eligible children, pregnant women, parents and others. Apply online through COMPASS or call the Consumer Service Center at 1-866-550-4355. Children not eligible for Medical Assistance can get CHIP.

  • Abortion Pill Reversal hotline

    Nationwide

    Started a chemical abortion and regret it? Call as soon as you can.

Housing Assistance & Shelters

  • Bethesda Project

    Shelter, housing and supportive services at 11 Center City Philadelphia locations for adults experiencing homelessness, using a Housing First approach; the site also points to where to find shelter tonight.

  • Project HOME

    Philadelphia nonprofit offering street outreach and permanent, subsidized housing for individuals and families who had been homeless. Philadelphia Homeless Outreach Hotline: 215-232-1984.

  • Family Promise

    Nationwide

    Prevention, shelter and housing help for families facing homelessness, through nearly 200 local affiliates. Find yours on the website.

Infant & Baby Equipment

  • Prepared to Thrive

    Chester County nonprofit providing essential baby and children's items to families in need. It does not take requests from families directly: ask your social worker or case manager to put in a request through one of its partner service providers.

Mental Health & Postpartum Assistance

  • Maternity Care Coalition — Behavioral Health

    Philadelphia-area support for pregnancy, postpartum and parenting: behavioral health programs (including perinatal loss), home visiting with an Advocate during pregnancy and after, community doulas and lactation help, and parenting education. Call (215) 972-0700, option 2.

  • Nurse-Family Partnership — Pennsylvania

    Statewide

    A registered nurse visits expectant parents at home during pregnancy and the child's first years, about two and a half years in all. Pennsylvania has 17 local programs, including Philadelphia, Allegheny, Lancaster, York, Chester, Berks, Schuylkill and Wyoming counties, Bethlehem, and hospital-based programs (UPMC, Geisinger, Lehigh Valley, Einstein, Robert Packer). Nurse-Family Partnership is now run by Changent.

  • 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

    Nationwide

    Call or text 988 any time if you are in crisis.

  • National Maternal Mental Health Hotline

    Nationwide

    Call or text 1-833-TLC-MAMA, free and confidential, for support before, during and after pregnancy.

  • Postpartum Support International HelpLine

    Nationwide

    Support and local resources for postpartum depression and anxiety.

Parenting Classes

  • Catholic Charities of Philadelphia — Family Service Centers

    Five family service centres across the Philadelphia five-county area offering prenatal and parenting support, food and diaper pantries, financial support and help with public benefits. Centres in Chester (Delaware County) and Northeast, Southwest and North Philadelphia.

  • Parents as Teachers

    Nationwide

    Free home visiting and parent education for expecting families and parents of young children, through local affiliates.

  • Triple P – Positive Parenting Program

    Nationwide

    Self-paced online parenting courses (also in Spanish). Many states and local agencies offer them free.

Pregnancy Centers

  • A Baby's Breath

    Pregnancy testing and ultrasounds at centres in Jeffersonville, Collegeville, Wayne, Phoenixville and Warminster.

  • Amnion Pregnancy Care Medical Center

    No-cost pregnancy testing, obstetrical ultrasounds and STD testing and treatment, free and confidential, at centres in Drexel Hill and Norristown.

  • Morning Star Clinics

    Free, confidential pregnancy testing, limited ultrasound, STD testing and treatment, options information and community referrals at medical clinics in Harrisburg, Middletown and New Cumberland.

  • Providence Pregnancy Center

    Free, caring support for pregnant women in Northeastern Pennsylvania: friendship and encouragement, free baby items (diapers, wipes, clothing, toiletries and baby gear) from local donors, education videos, and the Casa de Maria maternity home.

  • Real Alternatives — Pennsylvania Pregnancy and Parenting Support Services

    Statewide

    Administers Pennsylvania's state-funded network of free, confidential pregnancy and parenting support centres (it does not provide or refer for abortion). Call 1-888-LIFE-AID or enter your zip code to find a centre near you.

  • American Pregnancy Association

    Nationwide

    Free, confidential pregnancy helpline and a search for local pregnancy centers, adoption agencies and maternity homes.

  • Care Net Pregnancy Decision Line

    Nationwide

    Free, confidential pregnancy decision coaching by phone, and a map of 1,200+ affiliated pregnancy centers.

  • Heartbeat International (Worldwide Directory of Pregnancy Help)

    Nationwide

    Search 7,000+ life-affirming pregnancy help locations by state, city or ZIP.

  • Option Line

    Nationwide

    Call or text 24/7 to talk about a pregnancy and be connected with a pregnancy center near you.

Special Needs Assistance

  • Easterseals Western and Central Pennsylvania

    Programs and services to help children with disabilities thrive, in western and central Pennsylvania. In the Philadelphia area, Easterseals of Southeastern Pennsylvania (sepa.easterseals.com, 215-879-1000) offers early intervention, autism services and pediatric therapies.

  • Vision for Equality

    Philadelphia advocacy and family support for people with intellectual disabilities and autism and their families, including parent support groups and family support projects. Family line: 1-844-PAFamily.

  • PEAL Center (Parent Education & Advocacy Leadership)

    Statewide

    Parent-founded centre that educates and empowers families of children, youth and young adults with disabilities and special health care needs, with help on special education and inclusive education. Offices in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia; toll-free 866-950-1040.

  • The Arc of Pennsylvania

    Statewide

    Statewide advocacy for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families, with inclusive-education and customized-employment programs and local chapters.

  • Easterseals

    Nationwide

    Services for children and adults with disabilities and their families. Find your local Easterseals affiliate.

  • Parent to Parent USA

    Nationwide

    Matches parents of children with disabilities or special health needs with a trained support parent. Find your state program on the map.

  • The Arc

    Nationwide

    Support and advocacy for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families, through 549 chapters.

Support for Fathers

  • Family Services of Montgomery County — Fatherhood Program

    Fathers in the greater Pottstown area (and in Montgomery County Correctional Facility) learn healthy re-engagement, effective discipline and how to connect with their children's school and community. Family Services also runs Parents as Teachers, Triple P and Parent Cafés.

  • National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse

    Nationwide

    Resources for dads from a national clearinghouse funded by HHS’s Office of Family Assistance.

Transportation

  • Pennsylvania Medical Assistance Transportation Program (MATP)

    Statewide

    Free non-emergency rides to medical appointments for Pennsylvanians on Medical Assistance with no other way to get there: vans, taxis or accessible vehicles, or bus passes. Contact your county MATP office to register and book.

  • Family Promise

    Nationwide

    Local Family Promise affiliates help families facing homelessness, including gas cards, transit passes and car-related help where available.

  • Medicaid rides to medical appointments (NEMT)

    Nationwide

    Medicaid covers free rides to covered appointments for members with no other way to get there. Call your Medicaid health plan, ideally two days ahead.