December 1, 2010 - Working Closer to Completion of Rights of Passage

After our groundbreaking event on June 23rd, this new Rights of Passage facility quickly began to take shape. For a project that started as a dream 8 years ago, and took a lot of hard work to come to fruition, the actual building has come out of the ground very fast. During July and August, excavation and clean-up of the site occurred, as well as the prep-work for the building’s foundation. By the first week of September, foundation walls and the elevator shaft began to go into the ground, quickly followed by trusses and framing. By the end of September, the entire first floor was framed, and by the end of October, the entire building was completely framed, including the roof. Since November first, work has primarily been on waterproofing the building and installing the windows. The hope is to have the entire facility closed in before the temperature gets too cold. If you pass by the building right now, you will see that the entire building is wrapped in Tyvek and other waterproofing materials, and all windows have been installed. Our building has truly taken shape! Our projected completion date is March 31, 2011, and we are confident that we will make that date, but we still need your help. Our team is hard at work to find individuals, corporations and foundations who will partner with us to help pay for furnishings, such as beds, desks, and even blinds. There are still so many ways for you to help, so that by Spring, we will be providing 20 more beds for our region’s homeless youth.

October 20, 2010 - Construction Underway for New Rights of Passage Facility

This summer was wildly exciting for us in our efforts to develop a new facility for our Rights of Passage (ROP) program. On June 23, we officially broke ground at the construction site, and since then the project has been underway. Although we are learning first-hand how construction projects can sometimes bring unforeseen hiccups, we continue full-steam ahead on this project with much anticipation and excitement. As you read this, the building foundation is set and framing for all three floors of the new ROP facility are completed. Our city has a dire need for transitional housing beds for homeless young adults, so we are very aware of the gravity of this development, not just for our agency, but for the young people in need all over the Philadelphia region. The addition of these 20 transitional beds will triple our capacity to help these kids.

June 21, 2010 - Groundbreaking scheduled for Rights of Passage

Back in December, we reported to you that we still had a few major hurdles to jump before we could make this project a reality, but we were inching ever so close. We are so excited to let you know that we have made it. That dream of building a 20-bed transitional living facility for homeless youth in Philadelphia is about to become a reality. By January, we will have increased the amount of transitional living beds for homeless youth by 50% in the state of Pennsylvania. We have been incredibly busy over the last few months. We have finalized both our project drawings and our finances with the Redevelopment Authority and the City of Philadelphia, and we have been awarded our Notice to Proceed. Demolition has already begun at the Kensington site to tear down the dilapidated row-homes that still exist, and within just a few very short weeks, the framing of the new building will begin to come together. We have also received two more large private donations within the last month that have pushed us over the $3 million mark for this campaign! This project is now under-way, thanks to so many of you who have contributed financially to this project and prayed for its coming. Please keep in mind that there are still many opportunities to support this project. We are continuing to raise funds for this construction, as we know that construction budgets certainly are not an exact science. We are also actively looking for funding to help operate this expanded program. Beginning in January 2011, we will be operating this new building and need to increase our staff as well. So there is still time to get involved and support this campaign. As construction really gets underway, we continue to need your generous support and your prayers, for both this project, and for all of the young people who come to us in need each day.

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