Sisters Place, Inc.

As long as there is a need for our programming, we want to continue to be able to provide housing and supportive services to families who are homeless. We want all families to have the opportunity to overcome homelessness and receive the resources, education and empowerment that helps them to thrive.

Sisters Place is there when times get tough for these homeless single parents with children. Our model is unique, we provide housing and supportive services for each family to create a plan for success. We accomplish this through one-on-one and group guidance and support. Our plans for each family are customized and might include employment, education, life skills, and learning to drive. To achieve this we partner with other nonprofits that are experts in mental health, job readiness, and health & human services.

Close to 20 years ago Jill learned about Sisters Place when she was fleeing domestic violence with her two young sons. They were one of the first families at Sisters Place. Jill took advantage of every opportunity she could while she was with us and eventually she transitioned her family into their own housing. Today, her sons Eric and Eddy have their own families and Jill works for a local nonprofit and sits on our Board of Directors. Jill and her family are not an exception, we are very proud of the fact that 90% of our families transition safely into independent housing.

We have proven that the homeless need more than just a house, they benefit from the support of a caring case manager, the resources to take the next steps in their journey and the knowledge and empowerment to move forward with their lives. We do not triage families by addressing symptoms. Homelessness is a symptom that can be relieved by a shelter. At Sisters Place we look at the causes of homelessness so that we can help to end it for good. Our model of supportive services changes the lives of families. We surround them with the resources and opportunities that help them to succeed.

Accomplishments
1992- 1995 - The groundwork was laid as described in previous section.
1997 – Property renovations were completed. The first family moved into Sisters Place permanent housing in April. In May a Dedication Ceremony was conducted to celebrate new residents. Sisters Place held its first annual Setting a Place for My Sister Breakfast as its major fund raising event.
1999 – Allegheny County asked Sisters Place to submit a new HUD proposal to establish a transitional housing program for eight homeless, single, young moms and their children. The agency was successful in obtaining this transitional grant.
2000 – The Transitional Housing program began providing two year transitional housing and services to the targeted population. The agency was successful in obtaining its third HUD grant, Children Climbing Higher, addressing the needs of the children of Sisters Place.
2002 – Sisters Place moved into a new stage of development. A new Program Center opened in the fall designed to support the children's activities in the After-School program. The Center also provides the space for support groups, educational seminars for the women, and GED preparation.
2003 - Sisters Place received its fourth HUD grant, HEADS-UP, which supported a Life-Skills worker and a licensed Social Worker.
2005 – Program capacity peaked with HUD grants at their highest level since Sisters Place welcomed its first family.
2007 – 2008 - In the wake of huge budget cuts from HUD we envisioned ways to maintain the level of services to our formerly homeless families with less revenue available. In 2007 an Ad Hoc Board Committee studied our financial situation and recommended staff reduction. We reconfigured the programming staff and followed the board recommendations. We also began to strategize how we could find funding from other sources so we could continue to offer the same level of service
2009-2010 - $100,000 Capacity Building Grant from R.K. Mellon Foundation supports our hiring a full time Development Director.
2010 – As a pro bono gift, several contractors under the direction of Architect Louis Astorino and Mistick Construction renovated a Sisters Place unit to make it more accommodating for a woman with disabilities.
2010-2012 - Sisters Place joined the Homeless Children's Education Fund (HCEF), the Homeless Education Network (HEN), and the Clairton public schools in the Clairton Collaborative, whose goal is to support the education of homeless children by improving communication and cooperation among the critical partners – especially the parents and teachers of the children we serve.
2011-2012 – The board decides to expand programming to support an additional five homeless families on a daily basis. We write a third HUD grant for the Day Light Permanent Housing Program and begin serving families in October 2011.