Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation joined HELP USA, the City of D.C.,  and other partners on Friday, May 25, 2018 in a ceremonial groundbreaking of the Walter Reed project in Washington, D.C..  JBJ Soul Foundation is proud to support the 77 units of “services-enriched” affordable housing for homeless Veterans.  HELP USA will provide social and supportive services to the residents, and the units will be furnished to allow for immediate occupancy for individuals and their families who may be coming from shelters or other transitional housing.

The site will eventually become “The Parks at Walter Reed” and will contain 2,100 residential units (of which 432 will be affordable units), retail space with a grocery store anchor, office space, a hotel, charter schools, medical uses, arts and entertainment uses in addition to 20 acres of open park space. The Walter Reed National Military Medical Center is still located on this property and will remain a fully operational hospital.

“The Walter Reed campus has a storied history of serving the men and women of our armed forces, and we are proud to be building housing on this site that will continue that tradition. HELP strongly believes that stable housing is the foundation of every other social service. By developing apartments for homeless veterans and providing on-site services we are helping people begin to build better lives,” said Tom Hameline, President and CEO, HELP USA.

About HELP USA

HELP USA is one of the nation’s largest homeless service providers and low-income housing developers serving at-risk populations including families, veterans, and victims of domestic violence. HELP USA currently serves more than 8,000 people every day at over 50 programs and residences across five states. Since its founding in 1986, HELP USA has served more than 500,000 men, women, and children, and developed in excess of 2,500 units of housing.

Read below for the full press release:

Project HOME Announces Grand Opening of Ruth Williams House at the
Gene & Marlene Epstein Building

Newest Residence at 2415 North Broad Street Made Possible by the Vision and Generosity of Local Advocates and Long-time Supporters of Project HOME

PHILADELPHIA, PA (April 24, 2018) – Project HOME today announced that the Grand Opening of its newest residence, Ruth Williams House at the Gene & Marlene Epstein Building will be held on Tuesday, April 24, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. The residence, located at 2415 North Broad St., provides 88 units of affordable housing (20 dedicated to young adults) to men and women who are homeless, formerly homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless, as well as low-income members of the community. The building was named in honor of Ruth Williams and Gene and Marlene Epstein – long-time supporters of Project HOME and powerful advocates for ending homelessness in the city of Philadelphia.

“We were heartbroken when Ruth passed away before she could see this incredible project come to fruition, yet we know her spirit and commitment to let everyone live their best life is ever present here,” said Sister Mary Scullion, Project HOME co-founder and Executive Director. “Ruth lived her life by a simple creed – ‘Love, teach, share.’ This new residence honors Ruth’s life and her meaningful impact on Project HOME’s work by connecting people to education and employment services, as well as medical services. Ruth’s and Morris’ generosity helped to create a place of stability and revitalization for the North Broad Street neighborhood.”

Residents of Ruth Williams House will be connected to medical, behavioral-health, and recovery services through Project HOME’s Health Services Program at the Stephen Klein Wellness Center, and will be eligible to receive employment and education services through Project HOME’s Workforce Solutions Program.

“Our relationship with Gene and Marlene Epstein dates back to the 1980s,” said Sister Mary. “Since then, the Epsteins have worked tirelessly to create the awareness, passion, and funding needed to end homelessness in Philadelphia for good. This new residence is a tribute to their conviction and leadership, and we couldn’t be more grateful.”

“Marlene and I are so excited for this property to officially open its doors,” said Gene Epstein of the Gene and Marlene Epstein Humanitarian Fund. “Project HOME has a long track record of being a source for good in our city, and we’re proud to support an organization having such a positive impact.”

On April 9, a delegation of federal and local elected officials, including Congressional representatives Dwight Evans, Bob Brady, and Brendan Boyle, visited Ruth Williams House to highlight this project as a successful use of federal investment to solve serious urban problems, and to stress the need for a continued role by the federal government in addressing the affordable housing crisis in the United States.

Ruth Williams House at the Gene & Marlene Epstein Building is the fifth project funded by MPOWER, a Project HOME community investment partnership that is multiplying the impact of Project HOME’s proven approaches to breaking the cycle of homelessness. The partnership focuses on revitalizing entire communities, including building new homes and programs to support the vulnerable individuals of today and tomorrow and breaking the cycle of homelessness for young adults.

About Ruth Williams House at the Gene & Marlene Epstein Building

Ruth Williams House at the Gene & Marlene Epstein Building is a five-story, approximately 80,000-square-foot building, with 88 total efficiency units, and approximately 2,400 square feet of first-floor retail space. It was designed and constructed with sustainability in mind and has achieved LEED silver status. It includes on-site laundry and a community space for residents. Twenty of its units are dedicated to young adult housing, virtually doubling Project HOME’s capacity to house youth who are or are at risk of becoming homeless.

Just two blocks from Temple University, the development is located in a “transportation hub,” and the site is identified as an ideal location for transit-oriented development. It is in walking distance of both a subway stop and regional rail stop, as well as four bus routes. The project supports Philadelphia’s goals to develop the North Broad Street Corridor, reestablish North Broad Street as a mixed use urban area, promote Philadelphia’s image as a “walker’s city,” and build connections along the North Broad Street corridor.

Ruth Williams House at the Gene & Marlene Epstein Building is made possible through the support of public and private partners including Ruth and Morris Williams, Gene & Marlene Epstein, Leigh and John Middleton, Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, Philadelphia Housing Authority, City of Philadelphia, Division of Housing & Community Development, Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Capital One, National Equity Fund, FHLBank Pittsburgh, PNC Bank, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, JBJ Soul Foundation, Janet and John Haas, The Neubauer Family Foundation, TD Bank, Sheila and John Connors, Deborah M. Fretz, Independence Foundation, Toby Strogatz and Stephen Klein, and Paul L. Newman Foundation, Le Vine Family Foundation, and Jeannie and Michael O’Neill.

About MPOWER

MPOWER is a Project HOME Community Investment Partnership drawing on a powerful network of people and ideas that multiplies Project HOME’s impact in five key areas: investments, relationships, resources, advocacy, and evidence. In just five years, the partnership’s impact multiplier model has leveraged $20 million into $200 million which has helped to provide services to more than 15,000 people, including ending chronic street homelessness for more than 800 people.

About Project HOME

Since 1989, Project HOME has helped thousands of people break the cycle of homelessness and poverty by providing a continuum of care that includes street outreach, supportive housing and comprehensive services that focus on health care, education and employment through both adult and youth education and enrichment programs at the Honickman Learning Center and Comcast Technology Labs and community-based health care services at the Stephen Klein Wellness Center. Project HOME and its partners have pledged to end chronic street homelessness in Philadelphia. To learn more, visit www.projecthome.org.

Project HOME, City of Philadelphia and SEPTA Open First-of-Its-Kind Facility to Assist City’s Homeless

PHILADELPHIA, PA (January 30, 2018) — Project HOME, the City of Philadelphia and SEPTA held a ribbon cutting ceremony today to celebrate the opening of the new Hub of Hope in the Center City sub-concourse.  The 11,000-square-foot facility is operated by Project HOME and provides a gateway to vital services and care for Philadelphia’s homeless. The Hub of Hope is a first-of-its-kind engagement center for homeless created via a partnership with a social services agency, a transportation authority and a municipality.

 “SEPTA is not only in the transportation industry, we are also in the community service business and we are proud of our role as a partner in working to find solutions to the Philadelphia region’s needs,” said SEPTA Chairman Pasquale T. Deon, Sr. “Beyond the human toll of homelessness and poverty, homelessness presents unique challenges for SEPTA and our customers, especially in Center City. That is why SEPTA and our Board are proud to support the Hub of Hope to help those struggling with homelessness.”

Philadelphia Mayor James F. Kenney added, “We know that City government can’t solve homelessness alone. This kind of partnership shows what we can do when we all work together. I hope other businesses will take SEPTA’s lead. They invested their money and leadership in the development of this site, stepping up to be part of a creative solution.”

 Since 2012, the Hub of Hope—operating in a 150 square-foot storefront in Suburban Station from January-April—has  placed thousands of those experiencing chronic homelessness into shelter, treatment and other housing options. In 2017, 1,462 individuals visited the Hub of Hope more than 11,000 times. The new permanent facility will be open Monday-Friday from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. and on weekends, year-round, not just during winter’s cold months.

“Project HOME is proud to partner with SEPTA, the City of Philadelphia, and many other committed partners to establish a larger, permanent, year-round location for the Hub of Hope,” said Sister Mary Scullion, Project HOME co-founder and Executive Director. “Thanks to the incredible dedication and leadership of this partnership, the new Hub of Hope will offer a safe place where people can enjoy a warm cup of coffee, take a shower and wash laundry, and speak to peers or case managers to begin the process of finding a permanent home. It creates even greater opportunities to connect individuals experiencing homelessness to treatment, medical care and ultimately stable, supportive housing.”

The new Hub of Hope is located in an underground concourse space that was last used 25 years ago by the Philadelphia Police Department Transit Division.

“We knew there was a location that would give Project HOME the room its staff needed to better serve the city’s homeless population,” said SEPTA General Manager Jeffrey D. Knueppel.  “We realized it was a huge undertaking to have the facility up and running by the winter. But I knew the team of in-house employees and contractors would meet the challenge.  And they did, working around the clock. I am proud of their commitment to meet the demands this job brought.”

Construction on the facility started in mid-August 2017. Staff at the new Hub of Hope will continue to engage, assess and place individuals experiencing homelessness into shelter, treatment or other long-term housing opportunities with supportive services. The center also includes shower and laundry facilities for visitors.

While the new Hub of Hope is the result of a partnership with Project HOME, the City of Philadelphia and SEPTA, start-up funding for the facility was made possible through the support of many individuals, organizations and businesses, including: Bank of America; Lynne and Harold Honickman; Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation; Leigh and John Middleton; Aileen and Brian Roberts; Wawa, Inc.; and A. Morris Williams, Jr.

“Wawa is proud to provide support, which includes our coffee to anyone visiting the Hub of Hope all year long,” said Dave Simonetti, Sr. Director of Store Operations for Wawa. “We are committed to partnering with the City and others to support programs that make a difference in the lives of all citizens. We commend Project HOME, the City of Philadelphia and SEPTA for imagining this exceptional space and we are honored to join the partnership that made it a reality.”

“This partnership remains committed to breaking the cycle of poverty and homelessness” said Jon Bon Jovi, Chairman of the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation. “The Hub of Hope is another example of what we like to call the ‘Power of We’”.

“Thank you to all of those who put their faith in this project and believe in the mission of Project HOME. Working together, we will make a difference in the lives of thousands in our region,” said Deon.