Reinvestment Fund is financing the Renew Honor Project by City Mission, which will increase housing and social services offered to low-income and homeless populations in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
City Mission is a 75-year old nonprofit mission organization serving homeless individuals and families. Based in Washington, PA, City Mission offers residency-based programs aimed at breaking the cycle of alcohol and drug dependency, serving the mentally ill, teaching life skills, and providing residents with supportive services and aftercare to maintain long-term, sustained independence. City Mission is the largest private shelter in the region with a capacity to serve over 140 men, women, and children.
Its Renew Honor Project will renovate and expand five facilities at its campus through a $13.2 million New Markets Tax Credit transaction. The expansion will enable City Mission to house individuals at no or very low cost, while providing wraparound services such as counseling, case management, medical assistance, food services, legal assistance, and employment training. Reinvestment Fund is providing a leverage loan as part of the transaction.
Components of the project include:
- Transitional shelter: A warehouse will be converted into shelter and transitional housing for 99 homeless and very low-income men.
- Services facility: Space for community services including case management, drug/alcohol counseling, job coaching, life skills training, and personal counseling.
- Vocational training/distribution center: A new 48,000-square-foot vocational training center that will offer an extensive training program with state funded vocational assessments and retail training. The center will also support the expansion of the City Mission’s thrift store business from 5 stores to 19 stores. City Mission operates Hidden Treasures Thrift Stores in Allegheny and Washington counties in Southwestern PA that sell gently used furniture, clothing, and household goods. The expansion will increase the number of employees at the distribution center from 18 to 79. The training center will also enable City Mission to expand vocational training from 281 participants per year before financing to 547 per year after and increase job placement from 74 per year to 103.
- Veterans housing and health clinic: A new veterans’ residential center providing shelter and transitional housing for 23 mostly homeless and very low-income veterans, including a newly constructed health clinic and pharmacy. City Mission’s free clinic program provides direct medical care and works cooperatively with community agencies and institutions such as assisted-care homes, addiction treatment centers, the Veterans Administration, and Washington Hospital. With the expansion, City Mission expects to increase medical screenings from 6,801 per year to 10,880, and grow counseling from 592 unique individuals per year before financing to 800 individuals after. The transitional housing expects to move 164 residents per year into independent housing versus 120 per year previously.
- Homeless families housing: Extensive renovation of a facility providing 12 units reserved for very low-income, mostly homeless women and children.