Lancaster Area Coalition for the Homeless (LACH)
LACH Programs & Services
LACH facilitates a range of programs and services that bring awareness and help address increasing concerns surrounding homelessness. Call 803.283.8923 for more information or to be connected to the community assistance you or a neighbor may need.
The Lancaster Area Coalition for the Homeless (LACH) has partnered with Immanuel Baptist Church to offer shelter from severe weather to individuals and families without a home. The LACH Warming & Severe Weather Center is a short-term emergency shelter designed to provide a safe place to sleep, meals, and basic hygiene items in a clean environment on cold winter nights. The Center is expected to officially open in November and will be available through April of 2025 on nights where the temperature drops below 40 degrees or the weather is otherwise unsafe for individuals who are unhoused or unsheltered. The Center is being operated by the United Way of Lancaster County and will utilize LACH members and community volunteers to staff and support this shelter. Immanuel Baptist Church has generously offered their gymnasium as the site for the Warming and Severe Weather Center to serve the community they call home.
A national count of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January. This count informs the need for local services and is factored into state funding of services in Lancaster County.
Annual event where LACH members and service partners provide resources to the community at locations throughout Lancaster County. Resources are taken to communities like Heath Springs/Kershaw, Buford, Lancaster and Indian Land to ensure that residents from all over the County are easily able to connect with the resources they need.
Project Connect is held in late January / early February.
A national program featuring a week of activities and events bringing organizations, agencies and community members together to draw attention to the concerns of hunger and homelessness. LACH hosts a local series of educational, service, fundraising, and advocacy events. Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (HHAW) takes place mid-November.
HHAW November 17-23, 2024
Register to Participate in a Poverty Simulation:
Poverty Simulation November 19th 10 AM
Poverty Simulation November 19th 1:30 PM
Youth Poverty Simulation November 20th 5:30 PM
LACH Homeless Assistance
- Limited hotel stays, based on available funding, for individuals who are homeless
- Hygiene kits for homeless persons in need
- Referral services to local organizations for resources such as food, clothing, and emergency financial assistance.
Projects:
- Warming Center – The Center is expected to officially open in November, 2024 and will be available through April of 2025 on nights where the temperature drops below 40 degrees or the weather is otherwise unsafe for individuals who are unhoused or unsheltered. Community members interested in supporting this this effort by volunteering or donating can contact Emily Price, LACH Coordinator at the United Way of Lancaster County. She can be reached at 803-659-5801 or at lachhouse@uwaylcsc.org.
- Click link to attend a Warming Center Volunteer Training: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B084DADA92BA1F94-49576807-lach
- Temporary Shelter – Still in planning
How you can help:
Become a LACH member
For more information email admin@uwaylcsc.org or call 803.283.8923
Donate to LACH today
- Click on the "SUPPORT LACH" button below, be sure to note that your donation is for LACH
- Mail - Send to United Way of Lancaster County, P.O. Box 56 Lancaster, SC 29721. Make checks payable to 'United Way of Lancaster County' and write LACH on the memo line of your check.