Not long after it began, Emmaus House moved to 160 West 120th Street. In the mid-1980s, it moved again, into the former Charles Hotel on Lexington Avenue at 124th Street in Harlem. The building had long been known as a haven for drug dealers and prostitutes. It provided long-term housing to more than 70 people, and its community kitchen served 500 lunches a day. It also offered a variety of programs, from teaching job skills like woodworking to providing social services for drug addicts and persons with AIDS. Each resident was paid the same weekly stipend as Kirk himself ($25).