The plight of the #homeless in Downtown Pittsburgh has continued to attract attention for many years, and now the city finally has a plan to help its homeless population through a public-private partnership that will enable countless people to restart their lives.

Pittsburgh's homeless population has been surging rapidly, stretching the already scarce dollars of non-profits, religious groups, and organizations that offer services for homeless families. In January 2020, there were a total of 887 homeless people in the city. 163 of them were not being housed in a shelter, and 76 of them were included in family units. Light of Life, a faith-based organization, has been at the forefront of helping people in Pittsburgh’s homeless camps. The organization has also played a vital role in changing how homelessness is perceived.

Despite their effort, homeless people need a plan that will provide a long term remedy to their challenges. They routinely face a lot of challenges that require serious intervention. Jerrell Gilliam, director of Light of Life, said "there was a situation a while back where a homeless person died on the street on the North Side… there were no drugs found and no paraphernalia, but the assumption was this person overdosed and was another nuisance in our society. We need to quit that." 

Collaboration between public and private institutions, relying upon a coalition of corporate, civic and community leaders, facilitated the construction of the facility near downtown Pittsburgh. Many other shelters that serve homeless persons  don’t allow pets and are not open during the day, but this shelter will be open 24/7 and will admit people along with their pets. It will make it possible for those who lack a permanent address to receive mail, which is a very big step towards improving their lives and restoring their autonomy. 

Homeless people often have several barriers to their success such as addiction, unemployment, and mental health challenges. Leaders anticipate that the facility will empower these people to get back on their feet. Bill Peduto, who was the mayor of Pittsburgh when Second Avenue Commons was first announced, said "this facility is built and designed to be a walk-in facility for basic needs. It’s a short term facility to help people transition back into stable housing, or to be able to control or medicate any type of mental health or addiction."

I strongly believe that this facility will bring about a meaningful transformation by providing on-demand services to individuals experiencing homelessness. It will create an opportunity for stability by offering resources that will cater to each person’s needs and help them get over the issues that they have.