Arch Street Center

Attendance at Arch Street Center is voluntary, therefore it's up to us to create a program that makes our members want to keep coming back. Our facility is clean and welcoming, our staff is friendly and caring and our programs are designed to be therapeutic and fun. We offer both structured and spontaneous activities including crafts, games, art classes, meditation, educational programs and a monthly block cleanup project. Offsite activities include bowling, Barnstormers and Phillies baseball games, flea-market outings, movies, nature hikes, laser tag, holiday cookouts and annual trips to the beach. Our community meals are an important element in promoting a culture of belonging. We provide a midday and evening meal seven days a week and special meals served by community groups or individuals approximately twice per month. The Center also features a spacious game room with pool, table tennis, foosball and a Wii, two television rooms and a bank of computers where members can access the internet. We also provide laundry and shower facilities for members who do not have them available elsewhere. Arch Street Center members get all of this and more for a minimal $12 annual fee, or only $1 per month!

The need for Arch Street Center became clear over 36 years ago when parents, case workers, advocates and psychiatric professionals realized the mental health care system in Lancaster lacked any formal social support structure. They envisioned a dedicated environment for adults with mental illness to bond with peers in a safe, nurturing environment, devoid of stigma and judgment, where individuals could freely express themselves and develop lasting and positive personal relationships. A space in the basement of a local church was secured and Arch Street Center opened its doors on September 19, 1983, offering coffee, snacks, games, occasional field trips and a small evening meal. By 2012 it became clear we needed a building of our own, and in June of 2014 we moved into the bright, custom-designed facility we use today. We currently host 25-45 members daily, offer 45-60 activities per month and serve approximately 18,000 meals annually. It's quite a change from the original two rooms, coffee urn and crock-pot, but what hasn't changed is our deep commitment to helping adults living with mental illness on their recovery journeys. Three and a half decades later we're still building hope and transforming lives one member at a time.