By Jill Schumann | Interim Executive Director of Friends & Neighbors of Pennsylvania
Friends & Neighbors of Pennsylvania, Inc. provides survival essentials and connections to community resources through street outreach to people experiencing homelessness. Our advocates meet people where they are — on the street, under bridges, in their cars, and in the woods — and build trusting relationships. They check in, offer needed supplies like tents, sleeping bags, hygiene kits, and insect repellant, and connect individuals with organizations that offer deeper support. We are the only organization in York County providing comprehensive outreach services.
We’ve recently begun a partnership with York City — and with the unhoused community itself — to do regular trash cleanups, an effort to care for the environment and restore dignity to shared spaces. Our goal is always to leave places better than we found them, recognizing that healing and hope can begin with something as simple as a clean sidewalk or a moment of eye contact.
At The Beacon Resource Center, open each afternoon, guests can get in out of the weather, hydrate, use restrooms, receive mail, and connect with a growing network of partner organizations. This is more than a place of temporary relief — it’s a space where people can rediscover themselves. Free haircuts from volunteer stylists, life skills classes, arts activities, and support groups provide an opportunity not just to survive, but to grow. We’re building a community of mutual aid and respect — a place where people can chart their own course forward, with others walking beside them.
In 2024, The Beacon served 2,212 unique individuals, with daily attendance averaging 100–125 people. Our outreach team worked directly with 840 people on the streets of York County. Over half of those staying at the city’s night shelter are employed — many facing homelessness for the first time as affordable housing becomes harder to find. Others are coping with mental and physical health challenges, addiction, or trauma.
We understand that addressing complex problems requires many strategies and strong partnerships. That’s why we work with nonprofits, public agencies, and businesses through the Stable Housing Collaborative to create more opportunities for safe, stable housing in our community.
In August, we’re honored to welcome Airstream Club International to York for their 68th International Rally — and especially grateful for their partnership with Friends & Neighbors. Whether traveling across deserts or pulling into York County fairgrounds, the Airstream community carries a sense of adventure, curiosity, and compassion — qualities that are foundational to the work we do every day. Their presence here reminds us of the power of person-to-person contact, discovering new places and new perspectives, and always striving to make the world a little better than we found it.
As part of the Rally, the club will be collecting supplies for and assembling hygiene kits, as well as collecting monetary donations to help Friends & Neighbors maintain the quality staffing levels necessary to provide essential services to our community. These efforts will directly support our mission of offering dignity, stability, and hope to those experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity. We’re inspired by their generosity and thrilled to join forces for this shared cause.
As we prepare for this unique and meaningful collaboration, we’re reminded that while our vehicles may be different — trailers or outreach vans — our purpose is aligned: to connect, to care, and to carry people a little farther down the road toward home.
Watch https://airstreamclub.org/rally2025/community-service for more details about how you can support Friends and Neighbors of Pennsylvania at the 68th Airstream Club International Rally in York, August 23-28, 2025.
