Something is always happening at SHIM

Courtney Macurak, Director of Programs

Why are we moving?

Since 2018, the Wallace Building has been the heart of SHIM’s Family Center. In the past seven years, our programs have grown, benefiting many neighbors, and creating wonderful memories. We’ve met families from all over the world who helped guide our program adaptations to meet the needs of the community. From expanding youth programs to developing a Fatherhood Program, our Family Center has been a neighborhood hub for local refugees and immigrants. However, as we look ahead to our future, we recognized challenges with the Wallace location. These included the growing need for parking, ongoing building maintenance, and security concerns. When we moved to the Wallace Building from apartments in Prospect Park, we knew that a more permanent home would be necessary. Thanks in part to the generosity of our supporters, we are now in a position to invest in our new facility.

After a thorough search, we’ve secured a safe and accessible location where we can continue providing support to our South Hills neighbors in need.

What is great about the move?

We’re excited about the possibilities that this move brings. It will allow us to help even more people in our community and offer better programs than ever before. The new location, at 1400 Lebanon Church Road, is bright and spacious. A second building behind the main building will serve as our food pantry.

Here is our top ten list of why this move is great:

1. Security– Our new building has controlled access into the building, adding a level of security we never had in our previous location.
2. Maintenance Consistency– Our old building was, well, old, and we dealt with temperature-control issues, roof leaks, and the occasional wildlife incident. Our new building is modern and recently renovated, ensuring a consistently comfortable setting for programming.
3. Increased Service Area– Moving into West Mifflin allows us to keep serving families from our current service area while welcoming neighbors from West Mifflin to access our vital programs.
4. Food Pantry Enhancement– Our food pantry will be housed in a separate building with a separate parking lot, providing more designated space for food pantry operations.
5. Parking– Our parking lot is large and there is space for everyone!
6. Access– Our building sits directly across the street from Y47 and 51 bus stops.
7. Early Childhood Program Classroom– We have renovated a classroom specifically for our littlest learners, which includes a bathroom. This enhances our ability to offer high-quality preschool programming.
8. Playground– We are installing a playground! This new safe play area will be used by children attending our programs, including our Early Childhood Program students.
9. Office Space– Staff members have more private rooms to meet with clients, including several private offices.
10. Programming Remains Steadfast– Even though we’ve moved, we’re still serving our neighbors! We will continue to solicit feedback from program participants to ensure we are meeting the needs of our community.

What are some anticipated challenges?

While we won’t be within walking distance of our former building, we are only about 2.5 miles away. It takes about 8-10 minutes to drive from our old location in Baldwin to the new location, which is close to the West Mifflin shopping center containing Walmart, Sam’s Club, Lowe’s and Home Depot. We are actively assessing potential transportation barriers to come up with solutions, such as increased pantry home deliveries.

We are concerned about Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT)’s proposed changes to some of the bus routes around our new Family Center. Learn more and take action HERE.

We know that it will take time to work through logistics, such as traffic flow for pantry distributions in the new space. We will adapt operations to best suit the needs of those we serve.

Who will benefit?

Current program participants will continue to benefit from all the programs they utilize, including parenting classes, support groups, and family engagement activities. We’re still offering bilingual walk-in support and Immigrant Services and Connections (ISAC).

As we move into West Mifflin, a region where 92 percent of children qualify for free or reduced-cost lunches, we hope that new neighbors in need will find us and access our programs. Especially as food insecurity remains high, we anticipate reaching a larger number of neighbors facing hunger. We are thankful that this move allows us to provide services to a more vulnerable population.

When is it happening?

Now! We have moved most programming and will be moving the food pantry operations in June. Youth programs will finish out the school year at the current location in the Wallace building.

While our Early Childhood Program will move to our new family center location over the summer, After School and Youth Mentoring will be relocating to a different facility to accommodate the hundreds of children relying on these programs. Stay tuned for updates about youth programs in the coming months!

How can I help?

Stay tuned for new volunteer opportunities and spread the word to your network. We’re relying on community members like you to help families find us in our new space.

Sign up for our emails to stay up to date!