CV NEWS FEED // Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is renovating a downtown office building so it can become a social services center for the city’s growing homeless population.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that the building, known as “Compassion Corner,” will house programs that provide holistic care for the homeless, including free medical and dental services, job training, crisis case management, mental health programs, and more.
Fr. Chris Donley, a local parish’s pastor, expressed excitement at the opening of Compassion Corner. Fr. Donley also leads Red Door Ministries, a food pantry and soup kitchen for the homeless that is next door to Compassion Corner.
“It’s a wonderful day for the community, for Downtown,” Donley said at a Catholic Charities gathering, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “There’s new problems that we have to face, but one thing that is not new is that Catholic Charities will continue to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable among us.”
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Red Door Ministries and Compassion Corner will work together to better serve the homeless. Compassion Corner also plans to collaborate with other organizations, such as Gift of Mary, a Catholic shelter for women fleeing from domestic abuse.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette also added that Compassion Corner will start an outreach team to meet hesitant homeless people on the sidewalks outside Red Door and begin building relationships with them.
Catholic Charities CEO Susan Rauscher told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the Compassion Corner takes a holistic approach to help the homeless rebuild every aspect of their lives.
“We meet them in their moment of need, but we really want to invite everybody to long-term solutions and that change in their life where they’re stronger and better,” she added. “We hope they leave with solutions that follow them for the rest of their lives.”
Catholic Charities is currently fundraising to help renovate Compassion Corner. To help achieve its $17 million goal, visit the Catholic Charities of Pittsburgh website.
