Stories

Our Stories

Change to SELF team members have made a difference in thousands of lives. Here are a few stories about real people who have overcome significant challenges with the help of SELF team members.

Antoine Davis

Mr. Warren Nelson

"I was sitting alone with nowhere to go, feeling lost and ashamed, wanting help but not knowing where to turn. Coming to Ife Wellness Center changed everything—it gave me a warm, safe place to stay and a chance to improve my situation. I just needed that one opportunity to move forward, and Ife Wellness gave it to me. The management and staff at Ife Wellness are kind and loving, and their support has helped me grow in ways I never imagined. I’ve secured housing, reconnected with my mother, and started attending Sunday services with her again. I’ve also built meaningful friendships with other participants, which has helped me feel less alone. Being at Ife Wellness Center has truly added to my growth as an adult. I’ve learned to advocate for myself, rebuild relationships, and find stability. It’s not just about having a roof over my head; it’s about healing, reconnecting, and becoming the person I want to be. I would recommend the Ife Wellness Center program to others who are looking for help. It can be the support and guidance they need to turn their lives around—just like it was for me."

Naomi Washington

"During Code Red, I was homeless and reached out to the emergency homelessness hotline for shelter. They picked me up from the streets and brought me to Ife Wellness Center. At first, I felt hopeless, but after engaging with the management team and completing my housing assessment, I began to feel like everything would be alright.

Ife Wellness Center has provided me with the support I needed—help with housing, care for myself, and care for my unborn child. My experience here has been both healthy and inspiring. While at Ife, I’ve been matched with a housing program, found an OBGYN and a primary care doctor, received medical and mental health care, and was even able to request my birth certificate.

I would recommend this place to others in need. It can truly help, but people must be ready and willing to accept the support."

SELF In Media

Dr. Shirlana Dash named 2025 Trailblazer of the Year by Philadelphia Magazine

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FOX 29 News covers the opening of the new Administration Office in Center City.

6abc News covers the Cookout and Wellness Screening Fair hosted by SELF Inc. at the Station House

Upcoming Events

Blanket Drive

Starts: Monday, December 8, 2025 8:00 am
Ends: Saturday, January 31, 2026 6:00 pm

This winter, SELF Inc. is collecting new blankets to help keep our unhoused neighbors warm through the coldest months of the year. A simple gift can offer comfort, dignity, and protection to someone facing the harsh realities of life on the streets. We invite community members, partners, and supporters to join us in meeting this urgent need.

Donations can be dropped off at the Mike Hinson Resource Center or the SELF Inc. Administration Office. Every blanket collected is a reminder that no one in Philadelphia should have to weather the winter alone. Learn more at selfincorp.org.

Its all about SELF

A Message From The CEO

Happy Holidays Friends & Partners,

As we close out the year and step into this season of gratitude, I’m reminded how powerful it is when a community chooses hope - especially during times of uncertainty. The holidays invite us to pause, reflect, and extend care to those around us, and at SELF, that spirit guides everything we do. From celebrating an extraordinary gala to preparing for our inaugural blanket drive, this moment reminds us that compassion isn’t seasonal, but the season certainly gives us a beautiful reason to practice it.

Looking ahead to the new year, I’m grateful for the opportunities to meet with City Council and discuss topics such as aordable housing; a conversation that feels both timely and urgent. My hope is that this next chapter brings renewed commitment, fresh partnerships, and even bolder action as we continue working to ensure every Philadelphian has a safe place to call home.

Yours in Service,

Dr. Shirlana Dash

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Our Stories

Change to SELF team members have made a difference in thousands of lives. Here are a few stories about real people who have overcome significant challenges with the help of SELF team members.

Louise Fasone

“Geographical changes, abundance of money through better paying jobs and even furthering my education could not help me with my dilemma because I was my worst problem.”
My parents split up when I was in the seventh grade. I didn't think that it had anything to do with my gradual spiral downward. I used to think using drugs was fun and all my friends were trying drugs too. I just wanted to fit in. My parents divorced and other traumatic life experiences fueled my poor decision-making and bad behavior. Throughout the 1990's, I found myself in and out of jail and rehab facilities. My attempts to control my drug use and life became futile. Geographical changes, abundance of money through better paying jobs and even furthering my education could not help me with my dilemma because I was my worst problem. Only after I surrendered and cried out to God for help, did my life start to change.
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Yvette Clark

"I'm used to taking care of myself."
I’ve always been able to take care of myself. I am not and have never been afraid of hard work. But after working for a company for several years, I was laid off and could not find another job. That is how me and my mom ended up at Erie House. I tell you, the women there were so kind to us. I was intent on finding me a job so I could get a place. Every week I walked from Erie House, all the way to the Philadelphia Unemployment Project to look for work. Thank God, that when I got there someone gave me a ride back or I was able to get a token. If I needed to walk back, I would have done it but God had it so I didn’t have to.
Read More

Louis McDuffie

"IF I CAN DO IT, YOU CAN DO IT, JUST LIKE DR. OUTLEY SAID"
My life was totally different than it was nine years before. With the help of the SELF program and team members, my life was completely transformed. I left Newark, New Jersey and headed to Philadelphia in 2007. I was looking to change and live a clean and sober life. I went to Outley House and it started from there. I began doing things at Outley House to help my recovery and then started going to a SELF program. The program was in Center City. I started helping out and sweeping and cleaning up things around there in my spare time.
Read More

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SELF is a 501 (c)(3) human services agency that provides emergency and permanent supportive housing, housing-focused case management, mentoring, and other vital services and resources for Philadelphia's most vulnerable communities.
1500 Walnut Street, Suite 300
Philadelphia, PA 19102

Email: info@selfincorp.org
Phone: 215-496-9610
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"Geographical changes, abundance of money through better paying jobs and even furthering my education could not help me with my dilemma because I was my worst problem."
My parents split up when I was in the seventh grade. I didn't think that it had anything to do with my gradual spiral downward. I used to think using drugs was fun and all my friends were trying drugs too. I just wanted to fit in. My parents divorced and other traumatic life experiences fueled my poor decision-making and bad behavior. Throughout the 1990's, I found myself in and out of jail and rehab facilities. My attempts to control my drug use and life became futile. Geographical changes, abundance of money through better paying jobs and even furthering my education could not help me with my dilemma because I was my worst problem. Only after I surrendered and cried out to God for help, did my life start to change.

That change started inside of me at my last rehab center. I was placed at Richard Jones Recovery House (RJRH) run by SELF, Inc. for my aftercare. It was there that I learned to apply the change within me to my life around me. It took love and effort to put a tailor-made support system in place to help me. Through God and the support of people who care about me, I have been able to stay clean and recover from this dreaded disease called addiction. I completed an intensive outpatient therapy program at Penn Presbyterian for nine months. I was transferred from RJRH to the lfe Wellness Center also run by SELF. The staff at both RJRH and lfe have been so supportive of my recovery. I also gained employment at one of SELF's homeless shelters, completed my training as a Certified Recovery Specialist and recently moved out of shelter into my own place. Now I can help others like others helped me.
"I'm used to taking care of myself."
I’ve always been able to take care of myself. I am not and have never been afraid of hard work. But after working for a company for several years, I was laid off and could not find another job. That is how me and my mom ended up at Erie House. I tell you, the women there were so kind to us. I was intent on finding me a job so I could get a place. Every week I walked from Erie House, all the way to the Philadelphia Unemployment Project to look for work. Thank God, that when I got there someone gave me a ride back or I was able to get a token. If I needed to walk back, I would have done it but God had it so I didn’t have to.

Now, I have so much to be grateful for. I have to thank the Erie House, Connections, and Rapid Rehousing for my beautiful apartment. It’s all mine and I am so, so proud. Now I am looking for my mom so she can move in with me. I am so happy to have a place to call my own. The ladies at Erie House saved my life. I will always be grateful!
SELF ALUM LOUIS M. SAYS
"IF I CAN DO IT, YOU CAN DO IT, JUST LIKE DR. OUTLEY SAID"
My life was totally different than it was nine years before. With the help of the SELF program and team members, my life was completely transformed. I left Newark, New Jersey and headed to Philadelphia in 2007. I was looking to change and live a clean and sober life. I went to Outley House and it started from there. I began doing things at Outley House to help my recovery and then started going to a SELF program. The program was in Center City. I started helping out and sweeping and cleaning up things around there in my spare time. SELF program leaders really appreciated it. I was doing it because it also helped me stay clean. They offered me a job as a peer mentor in the program and in only a couple of months, they promoted me to head peer mentor. I was really happy. I did that for a year and was still doing my program and in recovery. I stayed clean and sober and was still working as a peer mentor and then in August 2008, I got another promotion. They asked me if I wanted to be an on-call residential aide at Safe Haven, another SELF program. I gladly took the job! I kept working my program and the people at SELF kept on encouraging me. They kept on telling me that I could do it.

A few years later, I believe in 2011, I was promoted again, this time to a part-time residential aide and in 2015, I was offered a job as a full-time residential aide at Safe Haven!! My life was totally different than it was nine years before. With the help of the SELF program and team members, my life was completely transformed. SELF helped me so much. They respected me, believed in me, and loved me. They showed me they loved me. With them believing in me, I was able to believe in myself.

I love going to work every day and talking to the program participants at Safe Haven. Just like me, they came to SELF to get their lives together. Today, I have the best life. I get to see people like me turn their lives around. By sharing my story, I am giving to others what SELF gave to me. I let participants know that if I can do it, they can too. I come in with gratitude, rarely call out, and help keep the house up. I live it and continue in my recovery. With love, determination, and people in your corner, you can do anything.