Montgomery County announces new Norristown homeless shelter will finish construction by end of this year

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A new 24-hour, year-round shelter is one step closer to opening in Norristown.

The 50-bed shelter will be at DeKalb Center Norristown. Construction on the short-term housing facility is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

The facility will provide social support programs focusing on career readiness, counseling, financial training and substance use disorder. Resources for Human Development, the county’s nonprofit partner, will operate the shelter.

“On a given night, over 100 people are experiencing homelessness in Norristown; these are folks who need a roof over their head and a safe harbor. Soon, they’ll have that place right here in Norristown,” said Jamila Winder, chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, in a statement Tuesday after construction began. “This is a system that works. When we combine housing with wraparound support services, we see success.”

In 2022, Norristown’s old shelter, Coordinated Homeless Outreach Center, ceased operations after the land was conveyed from the state to the municipality, and Norristown officials declined to renew the lease.

At the time, the facility, also known as CHOC, was the only year-round, emergency housing option for single adults in the county.

Since then, county officials have worked to bring two other housing options online: a hotel program in Pottstown and Todi’s Place of Hope in Lansdale.

The new site in Norristown will be the third.

“This is a facility where we’re providing all the necessary services to help these individuals because they deserve it, they need it, and we want them to feel valued,” Montgomery County Commissioner Thomas DiBello said in a statement.