Opportunity House

Opportunity House is a multi-service organization that improves the quality of life for children, families and adults who face various obstacles to independence, and supports their efforts to achieve and maintain self-sufficiency and well-being.

The adults and children served by Opportunity House in Reading, Pennsylvania (Berks County) have varied needs--some are homeless, yet surprisingly to most, the majority is not. However, there are commonalities that link nearly all of these families and individuals.

• They are labeled as "low-income" or "living below the poverty level" by government standards. In FY2010, 518 of the 528 (98%) children enrolled in the Second Street Learning Center came from a household that is at or below the official poverty level.
• They are deemed "at-risk" of increased violence in the home and in the community, continued dependence on government assistance, increased teen-age pregnancy, and decreased educational achievement.
• At the most basic level, they are in a day-to-day struggle to provide for themselves and their families. In FY2010, 282 of the 528 (53%) children enrolled in the Second Street Learning Center live in a family headed by a single parent.

All of these factors make it difficult to stop the cycle of generational poverty and dependence they have learned in their youth from the adults around them. They can not see the ramifications today's choices have on tomorrow... because they are too worried about making it through today.

Opportunity House encourages the men, women and children they serve in every program to improve their quality of life so that they can begin to focus on tomorrow. This is accomplished through the following services:

• Around-the-clock childcare services at the Second Street Learning Center for over 500 children living in our community between the ages of six-weeks and 13-years.
• Shelter services that include case management, goal-planning, life skills instruction and aftercare services as well as a safe place to sleep, eat and shower for families and individuals who have no where else to turn to in a moment of crisis.
• Transitional and Permanent Housing programs for families and individuals. Transitional housing is for families who have successfully completed the shelter programs but are in need of "hands-on" training before they can successfully move back into the community. Permanent housing is for individuals with disabilities that limit their ability to become truly independent, but who need a permanent alternative to living in a shelter setting.
• Children's Alliance Center of Berks County provides, in a child friendly environment, an array of services to help children and their families cope with the impact of sexual abuse. This partnership with Berks County Children and Youth, The Reading Hospital and Medical Center, Mental Health/Mental Retardation Program of Berks County, Berks County District Attorney's Office, and the Reading Police Department focuses on minimizing the trauma suffered by children victimized by sexual abuse, and provides a safe, nurturing environment where they can begin to heal.