Horizon House was founded in 1952 by a group of Quakers as a support group for former mental hospital patients. Since then, the agency has expanded its scope of services to address the needs of adults with drug and alcohol addictions (1972), developmental disabilities (1973), and those who are homeless (1984).
Early in Horizon House’s existence, discussions with the people who came to the support group for help in re-establishing themselves in the community indicated that their most pressing needs included unfulfilled vocational goals. Consequently, a grant from the Philadelphia Foundation in 1959 helped establish a pilot employment program at Horizon House.
In 1961, the agency began a research and demonstration project funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration that included an enhanced socialization program, a community residence and personal counseling and vocational services. This project would become the foundation for the development of the comprehensive continuum of psychiatric rehabilitation services for which Horizon House is known today. In 1975, the agency was a founding member of the International Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation Services (IAPSRS).
Today, Horizon House is a key provider of services in Southeastern Pennsylvania and Delaware and is widely recognized for its innovative approach to the delivery of services in a community setting. Horizon House’s success comes from partnering with those who come to us seeking help or who have been referred by other agencies. Many of the people served by Horizon House have multiple disabilities and almost all are low income.
