READING, Pa. – New swings. Slides. Bright colors.
This is the first playground ever built at the LightHouse Women & Children’s Center in Reading.
“We opened just a little over two years ago. We opened a ministry to women and children who are homeless,” said Executive Director Kate Alley.
Inside, about 72 women and children are currently living here.
“There’s a lot of different reasons why people come, but they all are facing the same crisis of being homeless and being isolated, being alone and feeling afraid,” Alley said.
The playground sits right outside their window. The kids have watched every step of construction, asking the same question every day: “When can we go out there?”
“And saying hurry up to those construction workers. And so we’re going to have a ribbon cutting and then the kids are going to flood onto the playground and just have a great time,” Alley said.
Staff members say for the mothers here, it’s more than just a place to play. It’s a chance to see their children smile again.
“The moms have said to us already how grateful they are that there’s a beautiful safe place for the children to play, that there’s a place for them to have moments of joy and fun and to really be just a kid,” Alley said.
And there’s more planned.
The next phase includes building additional transitional housing across the city, so families here can eventually move into affordable homes of their own.
If you know someone who needs help, the center says you can call 2-1-1 to be connected with services.