Since November 2024, Opportunity House has provided shelter for clients formerly living in a tent encampment in Pottstown. Today, over 115 clients rely on Opportunity House and the Pottstown Shelter Team to help them rebuild their lives and become stably housed. This is one of the many stories of hope and help in Pottstown, Montgomery County.
In many ways, Parker* and Ray* are the epitome of Gen Z values. They want financial stability, good health, job security and stability, opportunities to advance, work-life balance, and authenticity. As a young couple in their early 20s, their optimism is refreshing and very similar to those of their contemporaries who may be attending college or trade school. Instead of Parker longing for a pair of Nike Air Force 1s or Ray snagging a pair of Nike Dunks–they were struggling to survive.
Today, Parker and her fiancé, Ray, are thrilled to be living in an apartment and working to build a new life and a bright future. The Opportunity House Shelter in Pottstown gave them the chance to develop a plan for long-term stable housing. They worked with the Pottstown Shelter Team to get the support and encourgement they needed to transform their lives.
Young Lives Filled With Chaos
Parker graduated from high school and enrolled in nursing school while living in Ohio. The trauma of living in a dysfunctional home became too much, and she began a downward spiral of self-harm and drinking. She dropped out of college and lived in a series of sober living homes to help her maintain her sobriety. Eventually, she began working at Goodwill in Pottstown.
She met Ray, and they were planning to move to Allentown. Things didn’t work out, and she returned to Pottstown, where she moved in with Ray and his family, who were living at the Days Inn.
It wasn’t easy living with his family, but they were out of options. Sadly, his parents asked them to leave, and Parker and Ray slept in a tent in a local park in Pottstown. They briefly returned to live with his parents before being asked to leave. They pitched a tent in a yard at a friend’s house and eventually moved into a hotel. A week later, they got a call to come to the Days Inn in Pottstown.
The uncertainty and chaos of living with Ray’s family were familiar to Ray. At age 16, his youth was abruptly ended when he was forced to get a full-time job and balance online school. The child of two meth addicts, he saw his parents lose their home, get evicted from apartments, rely on friends and family for housing, and move in and out of hotels while trying to help them pay the bills.
Ray’s parents introduced Ray to meth. At first, he thought it was manageable.
Later, Ray came to Reading and was hired at a local bar. He began living at a former local hotel that was known for its illegal activity. Living there, he spiraled deeper into his addiction. He and his parents moved from hotel to hotel. Then, his father walked out on them and went to rehab. His mother moved in with a family member, and Ray and his siblings were sent to a safe place. Eventually, Ray was admitted to Tower Health for mental health treatment. His mother went to rehab. Ray and his parent are now clean and sober.
Stable Housing Is Possible
Ray and Parker look forward to a new chapter in their lives. After leaving the Days Inn in Pottstown, they lived in transitional housing at Valley Youth House. Today, they live in their own apartment with their cat, Bella. They enjoy the freedom it brings and the stability it offers. Now, Parker is working at TJ Maxx and Walmart and will enroll in college to study Psychology and mental health. Ray will be enrolling in trade school, where he will become an electrician. They envision their future together, eventually raising a family. “If you can survive homelessness with someone you love, you can get through anything,” noted Parker. Ray admires Parker’s ability to be resilient even during the most difficult times. Both Ray and Parker share common goals and a common purpose to continue fighting and never give up on their vision of the future.
Pottstown Shelter Team Offers Support and Hope
Ray and Parker are thankful to the Opportunity House Pottstown Shelter team for helping them find housing and having the tools and resources they need to remain stably housed. Their case manager, Aman commends their work and determination to become stably housed. They focused on their goals and continued to take small steps each day to get closer to their goals. They quickly accepted help from the Pottstown Shelter Team after they arrived. They were eager, anxiou,s and willing to do whatever it took to get an apartment after living in the tent village in Pottstown.
Reflecting on their journey, they offer these insights
- Life is easier when you focus on what is important and follow the rules.
- Stop thinking it’s cheeky to do something wrong. It doesn’t get you closer to your goals.
- Homelessness is harder than you think. It’s a constant worry about where you will sleep, eat, and are you safe?
- We look at others with less judgment because we don’t know their story.
- In losing everything, we gained so much more than we lost. We found ourselves a new life and a path forward.
Together, they are writing the next chapter of their story. It may take twists and turns but they are determined to change their lives. As Ray says “The strength of your walls is only as strong as your weakest pillar,” and together they provide the strong foundation for a bright future.
Parker* and Ray* are not their real names in order to protect their privacy.