[Press Release] Project HOME Announces Grand Opening of Ruth Williams House at the Gene & Marlene Epstein Building
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 23, 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.
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