Program REACH

Palm Beach County’s largest emergency shelter for families, Program REACH is located just off Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard in West Palm Beach. The shelter, with 19 apartments, is owned by Palm Beach County and has been under Adopt-A-Family management since 2016. It offers up to 90 days of respite housing for parents and children who have been sleeping in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, and other places not meant for human habitation. Each client family has demonstrated multiple risk factors – mental and/or physical health issues, extreme poverty, a history of domestic abuse, lack of a social support network, or all of the above. Among these families’ many needs, the most critical are 1) safe lodging, 2) intensive case management, and 3) assistance transitioning to permanent housing. 

The shelter is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and has one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments to accommodate families of different sizes. Additional supports include a food pantry, computer access, and afterschool tutoring. Transportation to children’s home schools is provided by the School District of Palm Beach County’s McKinney-Vento Program. The Program REACH shelter serves an average of 100 families every year. In 2024, it took families an average of 68 days to secure a stable housing solution after entering shelter.

Because there are always more families that need help, Adopt-A-Family also operates a short-term, scattered site motel shelter program, providing safe lodging as families pursue a long-term housing solution.