Catholic Charities looks to combat homelessness in Pittsburgh, open new downtown hub
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - As the homeless crisis continues to get worse, there's a greater demand for services to help people get off the streets. It's what Catholic Charities is hoping to provide at its new downtown Pittsburgh hub that opened on Thursday.
On the Boulevard of the Allies by Stanwix, you can typically find a line of people waiting to go into the soup kitchen at the Red Door Ministry. It's a sign of ongoing problems across the region, and especially downtown.
CEO of Catholic Charities Susan Rauscher has seen it firsthand.
"The need right now is staggering," Rauscher said. "We're seeing a lot of increased need in phone calls coming in."
It's why the agency moved next door to a larger space to expand and enhance its programs that offer resources and guidance for those looking to rebuild their lives.
In fact, across the six counties they serve, Catholic Charities is seeing an increase of 2,000 to 3,000 clients each year, with anticipations of reaching 28,000 people from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026.
"As people are finding more complex, more intense issues, having a harder time paying rent, a harder time paying their utility bills, we have more people living on the streets. All of those things need solutions, and we're trying to bring as many facets of the solution as we can," Rauscher said.
At what they call Compassion Corner, they now have crisis case management, more services in their free health care center, and some mental wellness programs. They also added a job training program.
While they don't offer shelter, they'll connect people with housing if needed. Rauscher said solving the homeless problem is not just about finding a home, but also about helping folks to find their footing and stability.
"The ability to address those many pieces and/or connect them to other people who do that and put together a whole package solution, really drives that change that we're looking for," Rauscher said.
It comes just as Mayor Ed Gainey said they've been able to remove the encampments downtown, and are in the process of doing the same on the trails.
"When we have institutions like this that are coming through to provide the level of services that they do, it continues just to provide a beacon of hope," Gainey said.
"Our goal is hopefully to work with them long enough that they never have to come back to us for service, that they're stable enough at the end of their time with us, that they're good to go," Rauscher said.