Our Mission
CHS empowers individuals and families to live in stable housing, connect to community resources, build relationships, and access quality food.
Core Values
Advocacy, Equity, Quality, Respect, Relevance.
Residential Support
Located in the Oakland area of Pittsburgh, our residential programs provide multiple levels of care for individuals in need of a supervised living arrangement. Both short term and long-term goal-oriented housing programs are available. The programs are designed to individually support and meet the needs of each person. Services are available for elderly persons and chronically mentally ill adults in homelike settings. Twenty-four-hour staff help residents with medication management, enhance social interaction, maintaining cleanliness and health, mobility, nutrition, and connecting to other services and entitlements.
Connect with your mental health provider for a referral through Synergy.
Housing Assistance
Operating under Housing First and Harm Reduction principles, we assist individuals and families experiencing a housing crisis. We partner with the individual and/or family and support them in obtaining and remaining in safe, affordable homes. We serve anyone over the age of 18 that lives within Allegheny County and is unstably housed, at imminent risk, or already homeless. Our services vary per program and include rental assistance, eviction prevention and mitigation, utility shut offs, repairs, and referrals. Our team specializes in service navigation. We collaborate with medical and social service systems and our community to ensure stability and sustainability for those we serve.
Most housing assistance programs require a referral through Allegheny Link. Contact them at 1-866-730-2368.
If you are a landlord interested in making a difference in your community and want to partner with CHS, please contact our housing location team at 412-246-1600.
Emergency Shelter
CHS offers a wide variety of shelter services to those who are chronically without a home. All those in need are welcome, however there are specific programs available for women, those with mental illness or other disabilities, those with UPMC Health Insurance who are homeless but underwent hospitalization for a major procedure or a serious illness and need respite. Temporary quarantine is available for homeless individuals in Allegheny County who were exposed to COVID- 19, as well as temporary isolation services for homeless individuals who test positive for COVID-19.
- Connect to shelter services by calling CHS at 412-246-1640
- Wood Street Commons referrals must go through Allegheny Link.
- CHS does not own Wood Street Commons. If you have a question or a concern about paid rooms or section 8 rooms at WSC please call 412-765-2532.
In-Home Services
In-Home Services provides a variety of offerings to individuals with disabilities living in the community. Our services help people retain housing in their community for as long as possible. Our In Home Services include light housekeeping, basic personal care assistance, chore service, meal preparation, completion of simple errands/shopping, motivation and instruction, and social activities.
Connect to In Home Services by calling CHS at 412-246-1600
Mental Health Services
Our mental health clinic provides therapeutic and psychiatric services to Allegheny County residents who are at imminent risk of, or experiencing, homelessness; and who experience a severe mental illness. Eligible clients may experience a co-occurring substance use disorder, but this is not a requirement for eligibility.
Services include individual therapy provided by a Licensed Social Worker (LSW), SOAR referrals, connection to traditional mental and
behavioral health services; and, medication management, psychosocial evaluation, disability verification for Housing Assistance Programs provided by a Clinical Residential Nurse Practitioner (CRNP). All mental health services are offered via telehealth and in person. All Medicaid/CCBHO plans are accepted; however, coverage is not required for services to be offered.
- Clients must be referred by a service provider of street outreach and/or shelter services.
- Providers who would like to refer participants to mental health services, call 412-246 1640
Food Pantry
We believe that every person deserves access to healthy food. With that sentiment, we provide individuals and families with fresh fruits and vegetables, non-perishable food items, access to dairy products, and choices of meat or fish. Understanding that the food we eat affects our health, the food pantry focuses on low-sodium, low-sugar foods. Offered is a unique ‘shop around’ experience, where customers can select for themselves what they want to take home.
Phone
Address
370 Lawn St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
(South Oakland)
Hours
Wed: 3pm – 6pm
Thur: 3pm – 6pm
Project Silk
(LGBTQIA+ Youth Programming)
Project Silk provides a safe, healthy, supportive community environment for LGBT youth of color to grow, celebrate, and express themselves. Project Silk is committed to member driven structures and offers unique pathways to service delivery on site at our youth drop- in center where we provides rapid HIV testing to increase knowledge of undiagnosed infections; implement behavioral interventions related to positive adult identity development and sexual health education; skills based programming for youth to actualize their goals; and linkage to medical care and ancillary services to promote overall wellness within HIV-positive as well as high-risk negative communities.
address
304 Wood St. Pittsburgh, PA 15222 (Mezzanine Level)
hours
Mon/Wed 11a-6:30a
Ages 13-19
Tues/Thurs 11a-6:30p
Ages 20-29
Family Foundations
Family Foundations is a neighborhood-based program made up of caring people who are experts in child and family development. Family Foundations was created by the University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development as a program of the University of Pittsburgh Early Head Start Grant. We operate in six local communities to provide child development and family support to low-income families with children from birth to age three and pregnant mothers as well as information and fun ways for parents and children to learn and grow together.
Connect to Family Foundations by calling our intake department at 412-246-1640
About
In 1970, the fabric of Pittsburgh’s South Oakland neighborhood was changing rapidly, reflecting the greater changes of the city brought about by the collapse of the steel industry. Community Human Services began when a small group of community members pulled together $60 per month to rent a storefront in their neighborhood to provide their neighbors with a space to build relationships and feel connected. In this small communal place, the group incubated community programs and quickly realized success in effectively addressing issues of crime and deterioration in their neighborhood.
These efforts marked the beginning of Community Human Service’s commitment to enhancing people’s lives and cherishing the role that everyone plays in their communities. CHS focuses on making sure each person’s basic needs are met and that they have genuine, positive opportunities to grow their personal, social and communal networks through with support from a trauma informed care and housing first model.
Board
Michael Ressler
President
Diamond Kinetics
Juanita Lomax
Vice President
Hit Like a Girl
Deborah Rubin
Secretary
Chatham University
Nick Walters
Treasurer
HBK CPAs & Consultants
Tom Carpenter
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Susan Rogers
Rogers & Associates
Edward Motznik
Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh
Tracie McCormick
Koppers
