Project HOME Announces Grand Opening of Joyce’s Place

Newest residence at 4849 Parkside Avenue provides permanent home for Project HOME’s Women of Change Program

PHILADELPHIA, PA – February 14, 2024 – Project HOME today announced the grand opening of Joyce’s Place at 4849 Parkside Avenue North. The latest residence will serve as a low-barrier safe haven space for 25 women (trans-inclusive) experiencing homelessness who have mental illness, substance use disorder, and/or other physical disabilities. Joyce’s Place will now house Project HOME’s Women of Change Program, which was previously housed at 20th and Arch streets.

“We’re so thrilled to celebrate the opening of Joyce’s Place and give our Women of Change Program a permanent home,” said Sister Mary Scullion, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Project HOME. “Women of Change has long been an essential part of Project HOME’s work, giving women a place of safety and respite while connecting them to resources and support. We’re grateful to Pierce and Katie Keating and all other partners and donors who made it a reality. The fact that the name honors a longtime volunteer and member of our Project HOME family makes it that much more meaningful.”

Joyce’s Place will replace dormitory-style living with private rooms for residents. Accessibility updates will ensure access to seniors and those with disabilities. Additional beds will be available for an emergency winter respite.

Joyce’s Place is designed to be a steppingstone into more independent housing, providing three nutritious meals daily and 24-hour support to build a stable foundation for residents who have come directly from street homelessness. The new location includes outdoor space and communal gathering places that will benefit residents’ mental health and support. Pierce and Katie Keating served as the lead donors for the project. The residence is named after Joyce, a longtime Project HOME volunteer. The William Penn Foundation also made a key grant to cover capital expenses and bring the Project to fruition.

“Joyce’s Place represents a powerful new chapter in the Women of Change Program and Project HOME’s efforts to support women experiencing homelessness,” Cheryl Hill, Senior Vice President of Property Operations and Residential Services, Project HOME. “This is a beautiful rehabilitated facility that includes private rooms for residents and much-needed spaces where women can gather outside and enjoy nature, and we’re grateful to everyone who helped make it a reality.”

All Joyce’s place residents are assigned a case manager who works with them one-on-one to develop goals and obtain necessary public assistance benefits. The goals are feasible and concrete and are designed to empower residents to achieve the greatest self-sufficiency possible by focusing on mental health treatment, physical health, and wellbeing, including medication management, substance use disorder treatment, financial responsibility, hygiene, and socialization.

There is also a focus on vocational rehabilitation and setting educational goals. The trust built with Project HOME staff allows residents to engage in services and empowers them to move toward stability, recovery, and, eventually, independent housing.

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About the February 14 Grand Opening

February 14, 2024, 10 a.m.
Ribbon cutting and remarks from speakers including:

• Sister Mary Scullion, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Project HOME
• Pierce and Katie Keating, Lead Donors for Joyce’s Place
• Lauren Moran, Daughter of Joyce Moran
• Cheryl Hill, Senior Vice President of Property Operations and Residential Services, Project HOME
• Kelli James, Project HOME resident

About Project HOME

Since 1989, Project HOME has empowered thousands of adults, children and families in Philadelphia to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty by providing a continuum of care that addresses and alleviates the underlying causes of homelessness, including mental illness and substance use disorder. To accomplish its mission, Project HOME utilizes its comprehensive, nationally recognized HOME model – consisting of supportive housing, opportunities for employment, medical care, and education – coupled with street outreach, advocacy, behavioral health and recovery services. Project HOME and its partners have pledged to end chronic street homelessness in Philadelphia.