Bethesda Project's History

Bethesda Project began in 1979 as a response to the increasing homelessness and abandonment of poor people in the Delaware Valley. The Body of Christ Prayer Group from Daylesford Abbey in Paoli, PA, at the request of the Sisters of Mercy, adopted a group of homeless women who were coping with mental illness and life on the streets of Philadelphia. Bethesda Project's work began in a rented apartment above a pub in center city Philadelphia, where the members of the prayer group cared for the women as they would care for members of their own family.

The group of women and men who took on this task were totally unfamiliar with mental illness, substance abuse and the physical problems characteristic of the men and women living on the streets. They were equally unfamiliar with how to develop housing for low income people. Nevertheless, they approached the task with common sense and the faith that, even in working against a mountain of daunting circumstances, they might already be on the winning side. This same faith has guided and informed Bethesda Project's work for over 20 years.

In 1983, with help from individual and corporate donors, religious groups and others, Bethesda Project purchased and renovated a house at 1110 Spruce Street in Philadelphia, providing a permanent home for 14 women. Thus began a mission which has now grown to include seven residences serving more than 140 men and women, and many more at "Our Brothers’ Place" and its winter satellite shelters.

Over the years, Bethesda Project has grown in the number of individuals served, staff and volunteers needed to carry out the mission, and the administrative support required by a growing organization. We remain true to our core values in affirming the dignity of every individual in our community and our obligation to them as members of one family.