PHLCares Donates $500,000 to HOPE 220, Newly Opened Housing Solution Center in Philadelphia
PHLCares, a business-led effort to address homelessness, is providing private sector support of Mayor Parker’s Executive Order to end street homelessness in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA, PA – PHL Cares, a business-led initiative investing in solutions to address chronic street homelessness in the City of Philadelphia, has donated $500,000.00 to help launch HOPE 220, the City of Philadelphia’s new, low-barrier transitional housing facility located at 220 N. Broad Street. Since the inception of PHLCares, more than 70 businesses, hospitality partners, community leaders, and individuals have contributed to the fund which is being coordinated by the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority (PCCA).
A number of organizations made targeted gifts to PHLCares with the intention of specifically supporting Hope 220 to help fund the 92-bed facility for a year. These include Visit Philadelphia, Brandywine Realty Trust, the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association, the Wawa Foundation, the Philadelphia Parking Authority and the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau. The Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority has matched each of those gifts.
“We joined with other community leaders to form and fund PHLCares because we believe we have both a moral and business imperative to support efforts to address chronic street homelessness,” said John J. McNichol, President and CEO of the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority, who also serves as co-chair of PHLCares. “PHLCares carefully researches programs with the goal of identifying and funding initiatives that provide long-term, sustainable solutions to end homelessness. The wraparound services and training taking place at HOPE 220 clearly align with our goals and we are happy to support their efforts.”
“We are so incredibly grateful to PHL Cares for the $500,000.00 donated today to the Salvation Army, our partner provider for HOPE 220,” said Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. “Under the steadfast leadership of John McNichol, PHL Cares has become one of the city’s most impactful business-led efforts to support us as we implement strategies to end street homeless - in fact we are nearing our goal to add 1,000 additional beds to the existing system. The City cannot solve street homelessness alone – we believe in the ‘One Philly’ approach, which focuses on all of us collaborating to try new approaches to solve the city’s most difficult problems. Thank you, PHL Cares.”
HOPE 220, operated by the Salvation Army for the City, is a key part of Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s new ”One Philly Response to End Street Homelessness,” which seeks to identify and launch realistic strategies to end chronic street homelessness. When the Mayor signed the executive order in December, 2025 she announced that it was developed in part because of the 2025 federally mandated Point-in-Time (PIT) Count that identified 1,178 people living on the street or “unsheltered.” The PIT Count pointed to the need for more shelter beds, so the Office of Homelessness Services (OHS) in turn set a goal to add 1,000 additional quality shelter beds to the current system.
The PHLCares donation allows HOPE 220 to not only add more beds, but to also expand services. With a total of 92 beds, rooms for families as well as individuals, showers, individual lockers, laundry facilities and on-site food preparation, the spotless center is bright, spacious, and cheerful. Currently there are 51 people in residence, with the hope of moving to permanent supporting housing and eventually independent housing in the long term.
In addition, HOPE 220 will provide on‑site medical care through a partnership with Jefferson Health. Jefferson Health has assigned an experienced advanced practice clinician to deliver primary and preventive screenings for residents at no cost, along with acute care management, wound care, and coordinated referrals and follow‑up services. By ensuring consistent access to compassionate, person‑centered healthcare in a trusted setting, Jefferson’s involvement strengthens HOPE 220’s mission to restore stability and help individuals move toward long‑term housing and overall wellbeing.
"Our goal was to ensure that this first of our many Solution Centers to come would make a positive, lasting difference that HOPE 220 residents could touch, see and feel," said Cheryl Hill, Executive Director, City of Philadelphia Office of Homeless Services. "That's why we selected the Salvation Army, known for its role in doing just that, to operate HOPE 220. And the fact that Jefferson University Hospital chose to join this effort by providing onsite healthcare services to our residents practically guarantees HOPE 220 will serve as a successful new model for shelter development. This is partnership at its best."
“HOPE 220 offers residents much more than temporary shelter,” said Captain Benjamin Lyle, Area Commander of The Salvation Army in Greater Philadelphia. “It creates a pathway toward stability for individuals who are working to rebuild their lives. Homelessness can affect people from every walk of life, and supportive housing like this ensures that those who need help have access to safe housing and the resources necessary to move forward. We are deeply grateful to PHLCares and the many partners and supporters whose generosity makes this work possible.”
Since its founding in 2019, PHLCares has raised more than $2 million from corporate and individual donors in support of providing individuals experiencing homelessness with the housing and services they need. PHLCares is a donor directed fund that is situated with The Philadelphia Foundation. The fund was created by some of Philadelphia’s highest profile business and hospitality sector leaders and is co-chaired by Dave Simonetti of Wawa, Jerry Sweeney of Brandywine Trust Group, and John McNichol of the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority.
For more information on PHLCares, please visit https://phlcares.com/.
Donations to PHLCares can be made by:
- Mailing checks to: The Philadelphia Foundation, P.O. Box 826728, Philadelphia, PA 19182. Please note “PHLCares” in the check’s memo.
- Visiting www.philafound.org and clicking the “Give Now” tab. Enter “PHLCares” into the donation form.
- Wire transfers or donating appreciated stock—for details, please email Matthew Kehl at mkehl@philafound.org.
Media Contacts:
Nina Zucker Associates
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Pete Peterson
P: 215-990-8928
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