Pope Francis Center opens first-of-its-kind facility to help Detroit's homeless

After decades of servicing Detroit's most vulnerable citizens, the Pope Francis Center (PFC) opened the Bridge Housing Campus, taking a new approach to ending chronic homelessness.

The Campus will prepare unsheltered individuals before transitioning to permanent housing. PFC has learned through experience that providing people with a home before addressing issues like substance abuse or mental health can lead to adverse outcomes. The Campus and its program offer support to residents with those concerns.

Guests will stay between 90 and 120 days while receiving intensive medical, respite, psychological, addiction, social, and job-readiness services. With ongoing support from PFC, they will progress to affordable housing when ready.

The $40 million facility features 40 furnished studio apartments, a gymnasium, a commercial kitchen, a free medical and dental clinic, and more. For those who have normalized homelessness and struggle to enter, the campus will include an outdoor shelter area with heating features, allowing a safe place to begin building trusting relationships.

The Bridge Housing Campus, located in Detroit's Core City neighborhood, is expected to welcome its first group of residents in late June.

Learn more about the Pope Francis Center's new Bridge Housing Campus here.