Valley Youth House’s first site opened on March 19th,1973, as a youth shelter in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley. The shelter was and still is open day and night, ensuring young people in crisis have access to emergency services and counseling.

Since then, the organization’s reach has rapidly expanded to encompass 14 counties across Central, Northeast, and Southeast Pennsylvania. Valley Youth House now has over 300 residential facilities and on any given night over 700 youth & families have a place to call home. Valley Youth House supports young people who are experiencing homelessness, housing insecurity, and loss of family connections to achieve healthy and independent futures. Personalized programs and services offer emergency shelter, stable housing, counseling, and life skills training.

The programming and services offered by Valley Youth House play a pivotal role in the lives of thousands of youth each year, like Alexis who was without stable housing for her and her 2-year-old son. After connecting with Valley Youth House, a Housing Stability Coach was able to help her secure a 2-bedroom apartment. Valley Youth House also helped teach her critical life skills such as parenting, budgeting, and managing goals. With the help of Valley Youth House, Alexis and her son are now on the path to a better and brighter future.

“The team at Valley Youth House helps children realize they are special, and they can succeed in life,” said Eric Luftig, Valley Youth House Board of Directors and Senior Vice President of Product & Engineering at Dorman Products, “I am committed to supporting the efforts of Valley Youth House and its employees as best I can to give children what they deserve,” he added.

Valley Youth House has been continuously serving vulnerable youth in 14 counties across Pennsylvania for 50 years, and is committed to building a solid foundation for every youth who comes through their doors.

“For the past 50 years, Valley Youth House has served more 446,000 youth and families. We’ve been there for two generations and we stand ready to positively impact many more lives into the future,” said Thomas R. Harrington, President & Executive Director.