City Mission exists to share Christ, to shelter, to heal, and to restore the homeless to independent living – without discrimination. A person’s descent into homelessness can be transformed into an ascent into recovery that eliminates the barriers to independent living. City Mission, a Christ-centered rehabilitative homeless shelter located in Washington, PA, facilitates this transformation by providing food, shelter, case management, biblical based counseling, and life-changing programming. City Mission is dedicated to restoring the whole person through a Christ-centered approach that expresses God’s love for them. Their goal is to help each person who comes to City Mission to move from a life in crisis to a thriving life that is achieved through a broad spectrum of services and connections to community resources to ensure sustained recovery leading to independent living.
The Men’s Shelter had a successful year in 2021 despite the effects of the global pandemic. Policies were created to encourage social distancing and mask-wearing, and residents rose to the occasion, working to help keep everyone safe. There has not been a single case of COVID-19 across all the programs. During this time, services were stepped up, providing increased classes and recreational activities on campus at the height of the governor’s stay-at-home order. Recovery meetings remained on site. Residents received hybrid treatment through both on site and teleservices with outside providers. As state restrictions for COVID-19 relaxed, outside visits to providers increased, and residents slowly returned to outside meetings following the CDC’s COVID-19 guidelines.
City Mission’s single Women’s Program offers a holistic approach to life transformation, from intake to recovery and re-entry. Many of the women in the program work while balancing their recovery and their spiritual walk. They attend devotions, Bible studies, chapel services, groups, work readiness, drug and alcohol counseling, outpatient therapy, mental health counseling, and one-on-one case management with their House Coordinator.
City Mission tracks monthly 15 metrics of recovery for each client. These include Mental Health, Addiction Recovery, Medical Health, and Legal Issues.
City Mission’s 2021 outcomes include 136,000 meals served, 56,000 nights of shelter, 9,700 medical services, 1,156 individuals served, 139 jobs obtained, and 70% success rate.
Dozens of Westminster members have volunteered at City Mission serving meals, working in the distribution center, working in stores, in worship, and as mentors. Dan Paul has been a member of City Mission’s board for seven years.
– Dan Paul
