Centre Helps

What Centre Helps does

Centre Helps is a community-based nonprofit organization headquartered at 406 S Pugh Street in State College, Pennsylvania, that provides 24/7 crisis and emotional support, short-term basic needs case management, youth-focused intervention programs, and an emergency food pantry to Centre County residents. The organization traces its origins to 1971, originally operating as On Drugs, Inc. focused on alcohol and drug interventions before evolving through the Well Spring (1995), Community Help Centre (2001, following a merger with the Volunteer Center of Centre County), and Centre Helps (2017) brand identities. Its core offerings include a 24/7 hotline accredited by the International Council for Helplines and connected to the federal 988 Suicide & Crisis Prevention Lifeline, Basic Needs Case Management for low- and moderate-income residents, the Youthful Offenders Program for youth cited with drug or alcohol violations, the Youth Aid Panel restorative justice program for first-time juvenile offenders, and an emergency food pantry.

The underlying technology stack is intentionally lean: hotline chat and text services are delivered through the third-party iCarol platform, with additional reach via Facebook Messenger and a Squarespace-hosted website, while all direct service delivery is performed by a small paid staff (Executive Director, Hotline Program Manager, Administrative Coordinator, two Basic Needs Case Managers, and Youth Aid Panel Coordinator) supplemented by a trained volunteer corps. New hotline volunteers complete an 8-week training program plus 7 weeks of supervised shifts and commit to 340 on-the-line hours and 24 hours of agency support, with semesterly unpaid internships and work-study placements channeling Penn State students into the organization via the PSU Centre Helps Club.

Centre Helps operates as a donation-funded nonprofit with no pricing tiers — all services are provided free of charge to end users. Revenue is sourced from community donations (including through the Network for Good everyday giving program) and grants or funder support, with formal referral partnerships with Centre Safe, Crossroads Counseling, and Alcoholics Anonymous providing after-hours coverage arrangements rather than material commercial revenue. Its go-to-market is community-led and local, relying on word-of-mouth, partner referrals, email newsletter signups, organic social media, and Penn State campus outreach to reach individuals in crisis or need across Centre County.

Name

Centre Helps

Legal name

Centre Helps

Website

https://centrehelps.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Centre Helps is a State College, Pennsylvania-based nonprofit that provides free 24/7 crisis and emotional support, basic needs case management, youth intervention programs, and an emergency food pantry to Centre County residents through a small paid staff and trained volunteers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Crisis Intervention and Community Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child and Youth Services (62411), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL), Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM)

Keywords

• Crisis hotline services
• Suicide prevention lifeline
• Basic needs assistance
• Youth intervention programs
• Community nonprofit support

Headquarters

HQ city

State College

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Non-profit organization funded by community donations through its Network for Good donation page and everyday giving program.
2. Government/funder support: Retains data for reporting requirements set forth by funders. Operates as a community-based nonprofit receiving support from community organizations and partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Centre Helps is a community-based nonprofit that provides 24/7 crisis and emotional support through phone, text, chat, and walk-in channels, accredited by the International Council for Helplines and connected to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Prevention Lifeline. It also delivers short-term basic needs case management, an emergency food pantry, the Youthful Offenders substance education program, and the Youth Aid Panel restorative justice alternative for first-time juvenile offenders in Centre County, Pennsylvania.

Product overview

Centre Helps is a community-based nonprofit organization offering a coordinated suite of crisis support and basic needs services primarily serving Centre County residents. The core offerings include a 24/7 crisis hotline (accredited through the International Council for Helplines), basic needs case management, an emergency food pantry, and youth-focused programs including the Youthful Offenders Program and Youth Aid Panel. The organization relies heavily on trained volunteers who provide the majority of direct services through an extensive training program. Additional programs include internship/work study opportunities, community service placements, and campus outreach through the PSU Centre Helps Club.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 24/7 Hotline Program 24/7 confidential emotional support, crisis counseling, and connection to community resources via phone, text, chat, and walk-in services. Accredited through the International Council for Helplines and connected to the 988 Crisis and Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
• Basic Needs Case Management Short-term case management for low- and moderate-income Centre County residents experiencing basic needs crises, providing emotional support, advocacy, and referrals for rent/utility assistance, financial counseling, food, housing, shelter, clothing, and furniture resources.
• Youthful Offenders Program (YOP) Educational program for youth cited for drug and alcohol law violations consisting of four discussion-based classes held over Zoom covering decision-making skills, substance use consequences, and safe behavior strategies.
• Youth Aid Panel (YAP) Community-based restorative alternative to the juvenile justice system for first-time offenders ages 10–17, using trained community volunteers to develop accountability plans including community service, mentorship, and victim restitution.
• Emergency Food Pantry Emergency food assistance program providing ready-to-eat and shelf-stable food items to individuals and families in need, with preference for items not requiring can openers or heat sources.

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 988 Suicide & Crisis LifelinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnected to the national 988 Crisis and Suicide Prevention Lifeline network, providing emotional support, crisis counseling, and information and referrals through the hotline program.
• Centre SafeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for which Centre Helps provides after-hours support services.
• Crossroads CounselingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for which Centre Helps provides after-hours support services.
• Alcoholics AnonymousminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for which Centre Helps provides after-hours support services.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• VolunteerMatch: National volunteer-recruitment platform; comparable operationally because Centre Helps' entire service model depends on recruiting and training crisis volunteers through a pipeline similar to what VolunteerMatch orchestrates at scale.

Broad incumbents

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: National network of local crisis centers to which Centre Helps is connected; directly comparable as the umbrella system for crisis hotline services across the U.S., and the primary funder/router for callers in Centre County.
• SAMHSA National Helpline: Federal 24/7 treatment referral and information service for substance use and mental health; broadly comparable as a funder-supported crisis/intake service that overlaps with Centre Helps' hotline and Youthful Offenders substance programming.

Direct peers

• Crisis Text Line: National 24/7 text-based crisis support service operating on similar volunteer-driven model; directly comparable for text/chat crisis intervention services that overlap with Centre Helps' omnichannel offering.
• The Trevor Project: 24/7 crisis intervention nonprofit specializing in youth via phone, text, and chat; comparable crisis-support platform operating nationally with volunteer/staff counselor model similar to Centre Helps' hotline.
• Boys Town National Hotline: Long-running 24/7 crisis hotline serving youth, young adults, and families; directly comparable to Centre Helps' youth-serving hotline and Youth Aid Panel mission.
• Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline: 24/7 crisis hotline serving youth and at-risk populations across the U.S.; comparable volunteer-staffed crisis intervention model serving overlapping youth and crisis segments as Centre Helps' hotline and Youth Aid Panel.

Regional players

• Centre Safe: Local State College nonprofit serving survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault; comparable as a Centre County-based referral partner addressing overlapping crisis and basic-needs populations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centre-helps

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Centre Helps