Dawn in Pittsburgh

On Thursday I was painfully reminded that there is a lack of shelter space for homeless men in the Alle-Kiski Valley. A series of phone calls to regional shelters who told me they were already at capacity led me to a dark Pittsburgh street this morning before dawn.

A handful of men arrived early more than an hour before the shelter opened, each hoping that there would be space. The neighborhood had signs of decay ...

alongside signs of cleanliness, care, and life.

Today there was space available at the Pleasant Valley Shelter of Northside Common Ministries.

As we drove into the city in the dark, George had commented to me that he felt he was at a new beginning. Because the people in this part of the community were working together, a new beginning became a possibility for him.

File under: Pittsburgh, homelessness, shelter, pictorial