Pathways to Housing

4040 Market St. Suite 320
Philadelphia, PA 19104
866 . 724 . 2002 toll free

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Our Stories

"Pathways to Housing has made a significant contribution to ending homelessness in Philadelphia. We are thrilled to partner with them and look forward to working together until no one is living on our streets."
— Sister Mary Scullion, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Project H.O.M.E

"It is a rare and precious opportunity to be able to provide people with exactly what they need and want to get well, and to get off of the streets. I’m very grateful to Pathways for giving me this opportunity."
— Chris Simiriglia, Chief Operating Officer, Pathways Philadelphia

"In less than one year, Pathways in Philadelphia has housed 89 men and women, some of whom have lived on the streets of our city and passed through system after system for years. The Housing First model — engage, house, and serve — is a tribute to human hope and compassion."
— Dainette M. Mintz, Director, Office of Supportive Housing, City of Philadelphia

"Since I came to Pathways, it has been a true blessing. The staff members treat us all as if we were family, and for me, that is something I will cherish for many years to come. So, I say from the core of my heart and soul, may Pathways have much success in finding ways to end homelessness."
— Nathan Peterkin

Pathways Philadelphia — Leadership and Board Members

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Contributors

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In the summer of 2008, Pathways to Housing was invited by the City of Philadelphia to bring its Housing First model to the "City that Loves You Back." By the end of that summer, Pathways had a program and staff in place and began serving chronically homeless Philadelphians with severe and persistent mental illness and co-occurring disorders. Within the first month of operation, Pathways was housing its first tenants.

In Philadelphia, the program operates with a housing department and two targeted case management teams that practice assertive community treatment services. Like all of Pathways programs, the teams consist of staff from many different disciplines, thereby bringing a wealth of knowledge and best practices to our clients.

The Philadelphia program prides itself on being a "green" organization. Pathways Philadelphia practices a philosophy of "doing more with less" by conserving power, reusing and recycling materials, sharing, borrowing and bartering rather than purchasing, and asking for assistance when something is needed or wanted. At Pathways Philadelphia, we believe in the collective power of community and we are building ours – one person at a time.

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See the list of the honors Pathways has received.

Featured Article

Number of Philadelphia homeless down, count shows

The Philadelphia Inquirer December 8, 2009

The number of people living on the streets in Center City dropped in the fall, reflecting progress by the Nutter administration in placing homeless people with special needs into permanent housing, Deputy Mayor Donald Schwarz said yesterday.
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Philadelphia Features

Paul Hawken, a nationally recognized environmentalist, says: “Business is the only mechanism on the planet today powerful enough to produce the changes necessary to reverse environmental and social degradation.” Pathways in Philly is very mindful of the relationship between business practices and the environment. We are committed to changing what is viewed as the normal business relationship -- where doing business equals using tons of resources.

At Pathways in Philly we make it a point to recycle, reuse and repurpose our supplies and resources. We use public transportation as much as possible. When a ride is needed we use Philly Car Share. Car sharing gives us the mobility we need without adding a fleet of vehicles and the emissions that go along with that to our neighborhoods. As an organization, we are proud of the steps we have taken to “go green” and hope that we are setting an example for other organizations to follow.

Chronically homeless people with psychiatric disabilities often have a history of fragmented healthcare, and research has shown that many drugs prescribed for this population contribute to high rates of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. As these people age, they become increasingly vulnerable to chronic medical conditions, and their need for careful, continuous healthcare becomes even more critical. The Integrated Healthcare Project (IHP) helps address this problem.

The IHP is the result of a partnership between Pathways to Housing, Philadelphia and the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University. In the program, medical and behavioral healthcare is coordinated with onsite staff psychiatrists. The IHP team also provides individual and group health and wellness programs, including health education and screenings, chronic disease self-management support, and illness prevention and immunization programs. The IHP helps Pathways’ participants gain access to primary health care, and it also gives them the freedom to choose what kind of care is right for them—and all of it is under one roof, which ensures that their doctors can communicate with one another. This means better, more cost-effective care in the long run.

The Integrated Healthcare Project has received an Assertive Community Medicine Grant from The Center to Study Recovery in Social Contexts. It is actively seeking additional financial support to expand its much-needed services.

We all live in neighborhoods and communities. We have families, communities of friends, church communities, and other social structures that lift us up and help us to lead healthy, happy and productive lives. At Pathways, we see ourselves as a bridge for the people we serve. Homeless people, believe it or not, have a community on the streets. When they leave that community and move into permanent housing, they need to establish new relationships in new neighborhoods and join new communities. That takes time.

Pathways bridges that gap, between knowing your community on the street and developing new community relationships in your neighborhood, by offering a calendar of socialization activities. We serve as interim community support. On any given day there are several activities taking place for participants, both in our center and in various neighborhoods in our city. All are aimed at helping people to feel comfortable in new social situations. All are part of a process of reintegration. All are welcome. 