Welcome to Shepherd's Heart Veteran's Home!
Approximately 33% of individuals experiencing homelessness in Pittsburgh are US Veterans. When Veteran's Administration Chaplain Mike Wurschmidt left the US Air Force to begin his ministry among the poor and broken, he never knew that so many of the unhoused residents in our nation's cities were combat veterans from the Vietnam War. Over the next 22 years, Chaplain Mike and his wife, Tina, have been reaching out to unsheltered individuals, including our veterans, in cities across our nation. Since June 1993, they have been on the streets of Pittsburgh helping those with the greatest needs and least resources.
Shepherd's Heart Veteran's Home (SHVH) also known as the House of Hope (HoH) is a transitional housing for veterans experiencing homelessness. The Veteran's Home is a collaboration between Pittsburgh Veterans Affair's Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV), Comprehensive Homeless Center (CHC) and Shepherd's Heart Fellowship, a parish of the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh. The collaboration aims to achieve a continuum of care that ensures veterans experiencing homelessness are met where they are and rapidly connected with the support and permanent housing they need. In 2006, Shepherd's Heart Fellowship was awarded a grant from the VA to renovate the second floor of the church and turn it into an "Engagement Center". The program aims to service unsheltered male veterans who may have a disability and/or have unmet needs for behavioral health services (mental health and/or substance use disorder). The aim of SHVH is to restore honor and dignity to those who have served our country.
House of Hope provides:
Outreach to those veterans living on the streets who otherwise would not seek assistance
12 long-term sheltered transitional bedrooms, 3 acute care bedrooms, case management, and rehabilitation
Employment assistance and life skill training
Supported permanent housing
Clinical assessment and referral to needed medical treatment for physical and psychiatric disorders, including substance use disorder, by partnering with the Homeless Veteran Health Care (HVHC) team
