ECHOS 4th Anniversary
July 1st marks the beginning of a “new” year for many nonprofit organizations; for Elizabethtown Community Housing & Outreach Services (ECHOS) it marks its fourth anniversary. What began as an emergency winter shelter in 2015, has blossomed into a full-time social services agency, serving our most vulnerable neighbors and addressing our community’s unique needs. Since its inception, ECHOS has served over 2,000 individuals. Specifically, ECHOS provided more than 2,245 hours of individualized counseling last fiscal year, totaling a value of $143,712 free to our clients.
ECHOS is proud to announce another year of service to our community and we give thanks to the original community leaders who spearheaded the formation of ECHOS. In response to the local need witnessed during the first shelter season, Dr. Jane Cavender, Dr. Peggy McFarland, Dr. Rick Basom, Jan Wells-Davis, and Deb Jones MSW, LSW joined forces to request seed money, establishing ECHOS in 2016 with Elizabethtown College as its fiscal agent. Their passion, initiative, and vision have been the crux of ECHOS, and we honor them for their commitment to stabilizing the community. Now, ECHOS is financially independent and has expanded to a staff of 16, over 300 volunteers, and offers 14 different programs and interventions.
In addition to our programs addressing homelessness and instability, recent additions to our services include Youth Crisis Counseling and Enrichment Services. ECHOS is grateful for the support of our community members, as we rely on our community for the volunteer time and financial contributions essential in sustaining our work and advancing our mission. Thank you for another year of service and we look forward to continued collaborations! Interested in learning more about ECHOS? Please visit our website at https://echoslancaster.org/ or contact us at info@echoslancaster.org or 717-361-0740.