Next Step Center Inc.

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Next Step Center Inc. To provide safe and stable housing, as well as support services, to individuals and families experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless.

Severe weather and a struggling economy with social and financial barriers can render families and individuals who live in Somerset County temporarily homeless every year. Next Step offers guests an opportunity to reestablish themselves while living in a safe, supportive environment. Working with many agencies within the county, Next Step Center guides guests through the relocation process so that they gain independent living within a 30-day period. In rare instances, this period can be extended if the individual or family is working towards gaining permanent housing. This extension is granted only when availability is permissible. To aid in self-sufficiency, we keep in contact with our guests once they leave our shelter as a safety net for them to fall back on. We also maintain a storage facility where we accept donations of household furniture for those who might have lost everything due to a catastrophe. Our Mission:To provide safe and stable housing, as well as support services, to individuals and families experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless. We are committed to creating a community where everyone has access to affordable housing, and where individuals and families are empowered to achieve their full potential. Our Vision: We believe homelessness is a complex issue that requires a comprehensive approach, and we work collaboratively with other oranizations and community

Chicken Alfredo for dinner with the guests at the Next Step Center Shelter.
10/15/2026

Chicken Alfredo for dinner with the guests at the Next Step Center Shelter.

A person can work full time and still be unable to afford a home.In Pennsylvania, a worker must earn $28.87 per hour to ...
10/15/2026

A person can work full time and still be unable to afford a home.

In Pennsylvania, a worker must earn $28.87 per hour to afford a modest two-bedroom rental without spending more than 30% of their income on housing.

At Pennsylvania’s minimum wage, that same apartment would require 159 hours of work every week—nearly four full-time jobs.

Homelessness is not always caused by an unwillingness to work. For many people, wages and housing costs simply do not meet.

At the Next Step Center, we help our neighbors work through that gap and continue moving toward stability.

Source: National Low Income Housing Coalition, Out of Reach 2026

This week’s Spotlight Speaker is kind enough to come from Washington, Pa. to explain Fair Housing to our guests. Megan ...
10/14/2026

This week’s Spotlight Speaker is kind enough to come from Washington, Pa. to explain Fair Housing to our guests. Megan Lanter provides the guests information on fair housing, tenant rights, service animals, and her resources are endless! We are so very thankful that she was able to partner with us to provide this important information to our guests! Thank you Megan, not only for traveling to us but for sharing your knowledge with our guests!

For dinner tonight at the Next Step Center Shelter was Chili and cornbread with the guest's.
10/09/2026

For dinner tonight at the Next Step Center Shelter was Chili and cornbread with the guest's.

For every 100 extremely low-income renter households in Pennsylvania, only 39 affordable and available rental homes exis...
10/08/2026

For every 100 extremely low-income renter households in Pennsylvania, only 39 affordable and available rental homes exist.

That leaves 61 households searching for homes that simply are not there.

A person can obtain income, complete applications and do everything asked of them—and still be unable to find an affordable place to live. This is one reason escaping homelessness can take time, even when someone is working hard to move forward.

Affordable housing is not an abstract policy issue. It is the difference between continuing in crisis and finally having a stable place to call home.

Source: National Low Income Housing Coalition, The Gap

This week’s Speaker Spotlight is Randy Rokita, from the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR). Randy is new to the ...
10/07/2026

This week’s Speaker Spotlight is Randy Rokita, from the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR). Randy is new to the transitions program as he was just hired in April of this year at OVR. Randy provides information to our guests concerning the programs that they have available and the eligibility guidelines that are necessary to qualify. Our volunteer speakers are a huge part of why the Transitions Program is successful!

Before winter comes, many Pennsylvania families are already making impossible choices.Seventy-two percent of Pennsylvani...
10/01/2026

Before winter comes, many Pennsylvania families are already making impossible choices.

Seventy-two percent of Pennsylvania’s extremely low-income renters spend more than half of their income on housing.

After the rent is paid, there may be very little left for food, heat, transportation, medicine or an unexpected expense. One missed paycheck or emergency can unsettle everything.

Homelessness often begins long before someone enters a shelter. It can begin when the cost of remaining housed leaves no room for life to go wrong.

At the Next Step Center, we see the human consequences of that pressure—and we are here when our neighbors need somewhere safe to turn.

Source: National Low Income Housing Coalition, The Gap

This weeks Speaker Spotlight is Mary Alice Emert. Mary Alice conducts a family wellness class for the guests at the she...
09/30/2026

This weeks Speaker Spotlight is Mary Alice Emert. Mary Alice conducts a family wellness class for the guests at the shelter. A fun fact is that she has been coming to the shelter for 11 years. She is dedicated to helping our guests learn coping skills for anxiety, depression, and overall wellness. She is a huge asset to the Transitions Program and we are so very thankful for her dedication.

The 64 people sheltered by the Next Step Center in 2025 represented 36 families.Homelessness does not affect only indivi...
09/24/2026

The 64 people sheltered by the Next Step Center in 2025 represented 36 families.

Homelessness does not affect only individuals. It reaches parents, children, and entire families doing everything they can to remain together during a crisis.

A safe place to stay gives a family something essential: time to breathe, regroup, and begin making a plan for what comes next.

Thirty-six families found that safety at the Next Step Center last year because Somerset County chose not to look away.

Together, we can be the Next Step.

This week’s Spotlight Speaker is Lisa Morgan from Family Health Council of Central Pennsylvania, Inc. Lisa assists our ...
09/22/2026

This week’s Spotlight Speaker is Lisa Morgan from Family Health Council of Central Pennsylvania, Inc. Lisa assists our guests with applying for SNAP and Medical as needed! Lisa keeps the guests updated on changes that have occurred or are going to occur within the SNAP Program! Volunteers like her make our Transitions Program so successful. A huge Thank You for helping us help others, Lisa❤️

Address

406 Stoytown Road, PO Box 850
Somerset, PA
15501

Telephone

(814) 444-8588

Website

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