Bethesda Project

Bethesda Project began in 1979 when Reverend Domenic Rossi and members of his prayer group from Daylesford Abbey in Paoli, Pennsylvania, reached out to a group of women experiencing homelessness in Center City, Philadelphia. Committed to caring for the women as they would members of their own families, the group rented an apartment at 12th and Sansom Streets. The women had a new home there, and the prayer group provided companionship to help them cope with mental illness. Now, more than 40 years since our beginning, Bethesda Project remains committed to our initial calling -- to find and care for the abandoned poor and to be family with those who have none. Bethesda Project serves more than 1,400 homeless and formerly homeless men and women each year at 14 sites throughout Philadelphia. This includes emergency shelter, permanent housing, and supportive services. Learn more at www.bethesdaproject.org/approach.