A groundbreaking ceremony for a new St. Patrick’s Haven was held September 15 in Erie. The new building will sit on two plots of land at 239 E. 12th Street, replacing the old shelter at 147 E. 12th St. Officials estimate construction will cost around $500,000 and should be done by the end of the year. The current shelter, which will be demolished, houses 21 single homeless men, ages 18 and older.
St. Patrick’s Haven launched the Restoring Hope Building Campaign in order to raise funds for the new facility. Fundraising began in 2014 when Roar on the Shore®, a charitable outreach of the Manufacturer & Business Association (MBA), chose St. Patrick’s Haven as the motorcycle rally’s designated charity. In October 2014, a $125,000 donation, including $50,000 in proceeds from the rally and the value of vacant lots donated by Rick Griffith of Rick Griffith Properties, was presented to St. Patrick’s Haven for the future shelter construction.
The “Haven,” which was founded in 1984, is an outreach ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania that serves homeless men in the inner city, many of whom are veterans. For more information, visit www.stpatrickshaven.org.
