Carlisle Mayor Recognizes Local Homeless Services Organization Amid Unprecedented Regional Homelessness Crisis
Carlisle Borough Council Honors Community Cares as Cumberland County Homelessness Increases One-Third
Introduction: Community Cares Receives Extra Mile Day Proclamation
Our Carlisle Borough Council meeting on October 9, 2025 opened with Mayor Schultz presenting the Extra Mile Day 2025 Proclamation to Beth Kemp, Executive Director of Community Cares, our local organization serving unhoused residents. The recognition comes as Cumberland County faces what Mayor Schultz described as an “unprecedented rise in homelessness,” with countywide homelessness currently up approximately one-third from previous levels.
What Community Cares Does for Our Community
Community Cares has operated in our region for 21 years, providing emergency shelter and support services to homeless individuals and families throughout Cumberland County. Over that period, the organization has provided close to 400,000 nights of shelter to unhoused residents in our area.
Mayor Schultz’s proclamation honored Community Cares for their “unwavering commitment to dignity, equity and care through essential shelter support and pathways to stability.” He specifically recognized the collaboration between our borough government and Community Cares during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the organization provided safe shelter and hygiene resources at the Carlisle Borough Stewart Community Center, which served as a temporary emergency shelter during that crisis.
The mayor emphasized that Community Cares provides critical services for residents who might otherwise go unheard, affirming our borough’s continued investment and support for the organization’s mission.
Community Cares Services by the Numbers in 2025
Executive Director Beth Kemp provided Carlisle Borough Council with specific data about Community Cares’ work in our region during 2025. The scope of services reveals the scale of homelessness in Cumberland County and the organization’s response.
Individuals and Households Served:
Community Cares has worked with 320 individuals across 278 unsheltered households in Cumberland County this year. These numbers represent our neighbors who have experienced homelessness in our immediate area.
Housing Placements:
The organization has successfully housed 71 households this year, including 254 individuals who were residing in the family shelter before securing permanent housing.
Shelter Capacity and Locations:
Community Cares provides shelter for men and women at St. Paul’s Church in Carlisle, where they have secured a long-term agreement that eliminates the previous need to tear down and rebuild shelter facilities monthly. Kemp announced that the shelter can now provide full beds for approximately 45 individuals nightly rather than requiring people to sleep on cots or mats on the floor. For families, Community Cares operates a shelter in Shippensburg that supports 12 families nightly with private rooms.
Who Experiences Homelessness in Cumberland County
The demographics of people served by Community Cares’ winter shelter reveal which Cumberland County residents are most vulnerable to homelessness. Of the total individuals supported by the winter shelter at the start of 2025:
- 115 were children experiencing homelessness with their families
- 32 were veterans who served our country
- 113 were survivors of domestic violence who lost housing while escaping abuse
- 93 were 60 years old or older, representing the senior population
Kemp specifically highlighted that senior homelessness represents the “largest growing population of homelessness currently” and is projected to triple by 2030. This demographic trend suggests that Cumberland County and Carlisle will face increasing demand for homeless services as our population ages, particularly among seniors who may lack family support or sufficient retirement resources.
Diversion Program Keeps People Out of Homelessness
Community Cares recently received dedicated funding for its “diversion” program, which represents a different approach to addressing homelessness by preventing people from entering the formal homeless shelter system in the first place. The program works by helping individuals negotiate with family members or friends to extend temporary housing arrangements that might otherwise end, pushing the person into street homelessness.
The diversion approach might involve Community Cares paying an electric bill for a family member who has been hosting someone, providing groceries to reduce the financial burden of an extra household member, or covering other specific costs that enable someone to remain housed with family or friends rather than becoming homeless. According to Kemp, the diversion program achieves a 29% success rate, meaning that nearly three out of ten people assisted through diversion do not become street homeless.
Kemp shared a specific success story that illustrates the program’s potential. Community Cares worked with a family facing medical trauma and imminent homelessness by coordinating their relocation to Las Vegas, where the husband could access necessary dialysis treatment and achieve the medical stability required to qualify for a kidney transplant list. This intervention prevented the family from experiencing homelessness while simultaneously addressing their critical medical needs.
The diversion program represents cost-effective intervention, as preventing homelessness through relatively small financial assistance costs significantly less than providing emergency shelter and supportive services once someone becomes homeless.
Growing Homelessness Crisis in Our Region
Mayor Schultz’s statement that Cumberland County homelessness is up approximately one-third represents a significant increase in our regional homeless population. This surge in homelessness reflects trends occurring throughout Pennsylvania and nationally, driven by factors including housing affordability, inflation affecting rent and basic needs, mental health and substance use challenges, and insufficient affordable housing stock.
For those of us who live in Carlisle, the increasing homelessness in our county has visible impacts on our community and strains the capacity of organizations like Community Cares that work to address the crisis. The mayor called upon our community to recognize its responsibility to support Community Cares and our unhoused neighbors, stressing the shortage of resources needed to meet basic needs including housing, healthcare, and employment.
Conclusion: Our Community’s Response to Homelessness
The Extra Mile Day proclamation recognizing Community Cares acknowledges the essential work this organization performs for our most vulnerable Cumberland County residents. With homelessness up one-third countywide and senior homelessness projected to triple by 2030, the challenge facing our community will grow more severe in coming years.
Community Cares has served 320 individuals this year, provided 400,000 nights of shelter over 21 years, and successfully housed 71 households while preventing additional homelessness through its diversion program. These numbers represent tangible impact, but Executive Director Kemp’s data also reveals the scale of need that exceeds available resources.
For Carlisle residents, the homelessness crisis is not an abstract problem occurring elsewhere but a reality affecting our neighbors, including 115 children, 32 veterans, 113 domestic violence survivors, and 93 seniors currently accessing services in our county. The partnership between our borough government and Community Cares, demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic when we provided emergency shelter space, shows that local government can play a meaningful role in addressing homelessness alongside nonprofit service providers.
As Mayor Schultz emphasized, our community bears responsibility for supporting both Community Cares as an organization and the unhoused individuals they serve. Whether through borough funding, individual donations, volunteer support, or advocacy for policies that address housing affordability and social services, those of us who live in Carlisle have opportunities to respond to the unprecedented rise in homelessness affecting Cumberland County.
Beth Kemp concluded her presentation by thanking our borough for the recognition and affirming Community Cares’ readiness to serve individuals when they are prepared to ask for help. For our community, the question is whether we will provide the resources necessary for Community Cares to meet the growing need.
