How does the Housing Link Helpline work?

• Residents experiencing a housing crisis call the Helpline at 1-800-810-4434.
• The Call Center staff will ask a series of questions to better understand your situation and what services you may be eligible for to assist with your housing crisis. If you aren’t eligible for a specific service, they will provide other resources that might be able to help. 
• If you are experiencing unsheltered homelessness, you will be referred directly to Street Outreach, and a member of the Housing Link Street Outreach team will connect with you.
• If you are being evicted from your rental or are doubled-up and have to leave, you will be referred to Housing Planning or a Prevention Program.
• Street Outreach and Housing Planning staff will work with callers to determine their housing needs and solutions to help resolve their housing crisis.

If you are a Bucks County homeowner who is at risk of foreclosure or in need of home repairs, please visit the Bucks County website for resources available. 

Who Can Call the Housing Link Helpline?

It is best for an adult in the household experiencing the crisis to call the Helpline. Social service staff or the public can call on behalf of a client. If you are a social service professional, it is best to call with the household experiencing the crisis; there is much less the Housing Link can do if the household itself is not calling. If you are a member of the public who sees someone unsheltered that needs assistance, you can call and report their location, and Street Outreach will attempt to connect with the person. 

What should you expect when you call the Housing Link Helpline?

The Housing Link Helpline staff will ask you a series of questions to better understand your situation and what services are most appropriate. This takes approximately 15 minutes to complete over the phone. You will then be referred to the appropriate next step and/or given external resources and referrals as needed. If referred to Street Outreach, Prevention, or Housing Planning, you will be contacted by those providers to begin planning around housing solutions. 

Code Blue Shelters

Other Resources

• A Woman’s Place Hotline (Domestic Violence) – 1-800-220-8116 
• National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888 
• PA 211
• CONTACT Helpline (215-355-6000) The CONTACT Helpline provides free, anonymous, and confidential telephone services to individuals who are contemplating suicide, struggling with life’s challenges, or in need of someone to listen. CONTACT Helpline staff and volunteers are specially trained in active listening skills and strategies for supporting people under emotional stress.
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a 24-hour, confidential suicide prevention hotline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Our trained volunteers answer local Lifeline calls.
• Download the Bucks County Resources Directory
• Download the Bucks County Housing Resources Guide
• Bucks County Housing Link Partners
• Bucks County First Time Homebuyer Program