Merakey North 17th Street

Located near the North Philadelphia train station, Merakey Veterans Assistance serves veterans facing homelessness, addiction, mental health challenges, or a recent hospital discharge. Programs include hospital-to-housing respite, bridge housing, emergency residential care, service-intensive transitional housing, low-demand harm-reduction housing, and transitional housing for veterans with serious mental illness. Staff also help veterans navigate VA healthcare, benefits, income, discharge planning, and permanent housing.

Treatment, Housing, and Daily Needs

Veterans work with staff on care plans, housing goals, benefits, and independent living skills. Some programs include 1-on-1 treatment and care management for serious mental illness. Merakey also lists substance use disorder (SUD) care, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), and outpatient services, mental health outpatient care, mobile psychiatric rehabilitation, case management, and psychiatric or psychological services across its broader veterans service network.

Length of Stay and Next Steps

Program length depends on the service. Bridge housing usually lasts under 90 days, emergency residential care generally lasts 30-90 days, and transitional housing for serious mental illness can last up to six months. Hospital-to-housing respite serves veterans leaving emergency or inpatient care who need short-term recuperative housing before moving to a more stable setting.