“When we work together, miracles happen.” Fr. Tim McCabe, SJ, says those words often. Fr. Tim, as he is known, is president and CEO of the Pope Francis Center (PFC), a Detroit nonprofit that serves people experiencing homelessness.
PFC started humbly in 1990 when Saints Peter and Paul Jesuit Church welcomed people off the streets of Detroit during a snowstorm. Over the decades the outreach and services grew. In 2013 the parish’s warming center added a kitchen and laundry facilities, as well as updated showers, restrooms and shaving stations. Soon after, space was created where outside organizations could offer free medical, dental, legal and other services.
In 2016 the organization was spun off into an independent nonprofit organization and renamed the Pope Francis Center in honor of Pope Francis’ deep commitment to the poor and marginalized.
But Fr. Tim could see that while PFC was helping its guests survive on the streets, it wasn’t addressing the reasons they got there in the first place. He had a vision for services that went beyond being transactional to transformational.
After visiting 16 social service organizations around the U.S. and conducting other research, he developed the Bridge Housing Campus concept.
The idea was to build a holistic facility where residents could stay for 90-120 days. While living in studio apartments, they would have access to trauma-informed intensive medical, respite, psychological, addiction, social, and job-readiness services, as well as housing advocacy and support — all in one location.
Eight years and $40 million dollars later, that dream is now a reality. PFC opened the Bridge Housing Campus in June of 2024. The facility is a first-of-its kind for Detroit and Michigan. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said the campus will play a key role in helping move people from the streets into affordable housing. “This is the city Detroit wants to build,” Duggan said.
empowerment.
Lillie Skinner of the Core City Neighborhood Association said the Bridge Housing Campus is an answer to her prayers. “It seemed like everybody was leaving the men behind. They didn’t have a facility for men to go. This is an honor and a blessing,” she says.
Garlin Gilchrist II, Michigan’s Lieutenant Governor, said: “What this Center, this Campus, what Pope Francis represents, is one of the most important anchor institutions working to open the door to something all of us in Michigan have in common as a desire. And that is access to a dream, an opportunity. To have a pathway to health. To have a pathway to wealth. To have a pathway to stability. To have a pathway to opportunity.
”PFC’s vision remains a simple one: end chronic homelessness in Detroit. Through the outreach at its original Day Center in Detroit and the transformational Bridge Housing Campus, it is poised to do just that.
Day Center
The center at 438 Saint Antoine St is open from 7–11 a.m. Monday through Saturday and meets the needs of more than 200 guests a day. Services include:
- Two nutritious meals per day.
- Laundry/Showers/Bathrooms.
- Basic necessities such as shampoo, conditioner, feminine products, etc.
- Mail services and a place to safely store vital documents.
- Access to rotating clinics for medical, dental, legal, podiatric, substance abuse and Secretary of State services.
- Housing advocacy assistance.
Between July 2023 and June 2024, PFC:
PFC Bridge Housing Campus
The 60,000-square-foot Bridge Housing Campus sits on 5.3 acres of land in Detroit’s Core City neighborhood. Features include:
- 40 studio apartments where residents will have access to trauma-informed intensive services.
- PFC is partnering with CHASS Clinic (Community Health and Social Services) to provide medical and dental care to residents as well as community members.
- An eight-bed respite area where guests can receive care they need to fully heal before going back on the street.
- A full-size gym will offer sports and recreation activities as well as serve as a shelter during times of very cold weather and a space for community gatherings.
- A commercial kitchen where staff will provide three nutritious meals per day.
- Classrooms where residents can take a variety of courses, including independent living skills, basic finance skills, and more.
- A designated area with heated sidewalks and overhead radiant heaters will be available for those who have normalized homelessness and struggle to come indoors.
- A chapel will be used for a variety of religious and spiritual events. PFC welcomes everyone and does not require any religious commitments.
