Getting shelter and housing help through the Allegheny Link
The Allegheny Link is the single access point for homeless and housing services in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, including the city of Pittsburgh. The county Department of Human Services (DHS) runs it. One phone number, 866-730-2368, starts the process for emergency shelter, homelessness prevention referrals, and screening for longer-term housing programs. This page explains what the Link does, what happens after you contact them, and where to go for the kinds of help the Link does not provide.
The service is free with customer support at 1-866-730-2368. It serves people who are already homeless, people about to lose their housing, and people who need help finding an apartment they can afford.
What happens when you contact the Link
A staff member will ask where you are staying now and what is about to happen. That may mean you are in a shelter, in a car, outside, staying with someone temporarily, or facing an eviction date. Based on your answers, they may refer you to open emergency shelter space, to a prevention program, or to other services in the county.
For people who are already homeless, the Link may also complete the Allegheny Housing Assessment. It produces a score that DHS uses to prioritize households on the waiting list for longer-term homeless housing programs, such as rapid rehousing and supportive housing.
The government term for this setup is coordinated entry. It means agencies across the county work from one shared intake and priority list instead of each shelter or housing program keeping its own. You do not need to call every provider separately; contacting the Link is what places you on the list. A referral or an assessment does not guarantee placement, since openings depend on funding and vacancies, so ask the staff member what is realistic for your situation.
Help the Link can connect you to
The referrals below are the main kinds of help the Link may arrange.
Emergency shelter is the most immediate one. Link staff can direct individuals and families to available shelter options across the county, and the after-hours phone message lists shelter contacts you can use right away. Our page on transitional housing and shelters in Allegheny County describes the types of facilities that operate locally. Anyone fleeing domestic violence can also call the Women's Center & Shelter of Pittsburgh 24-hour hotline at 412-687-8005, which admits women and children by phone at any hour.
If you are still housed but at risk, the Link may refer you to homelessness prevention services run by the county's partner agencies. Our page on eviction prevention and rehousing in Allegheny County covers those programs in more detail. For households leaving homelessness for a unit of their own, funds for security deposits and move-in costs may be available through the same coordinated entry process.
The Link also helps with affordable housing navigation. Staff maintain a resource list of affordable units and programs in the county, and a DHS Housing Navigator Unit works with landlords and tenants to expand affordable options. If your main problem is finding a unit you can afford rather than an immediate emergency, the Link is still an appropriate place to ask.
Who runs the county homeless system
Allegheny County DHS operates the region's Continuum of Care, which is the network of shelters, street outreach teams, drop-in centers, and housing programs that receive federal homeless assistance funding. The federal government requires each region to run a single coordinated intake for that network, and the Allegheny Link fills that role here. DHS also funds and oversees the provider agencies, which is why one county phone number can reach programs operated by many different nonprofits.
What the Allegheny Link does not handle
Knowing what the Link does not do saves time when you are in a crisis. The Link does not provide cash grants directly, and it is not the office for public benefits. Applications for SNAP, Medicaid, TANF, and LIHEAP go through Pennsylvania's COMPASS portal or the local County Assistance Office.
General rent help for tenants who are behind on rent but not close to homelessness usually comes from charities and nonprofit programs rather than the Link. Our page on rent assistance in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County lists those options. The Link is also not itself a shelter. Contacting them starts an assessment and a referral; the actual beds, units, and caseworkers belong to partner agencies.
Ways to reach the Allegheny Link
Call 866-730-2368. A live person typically answers on weekdays during business hours, and outside those times an automated message lists shelters and other supports you can contact immediately. You can also visit in person at the Human Services Building, One Smithfield Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, generally during weekday daytime hours, or submit the referral form on the county's Allegheny Link page at https://www.alleghenycounty.us/Services/Housing/Allegheny-Link.
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