BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo City Mission has officially opened its new community center, the Alfiero Family Center of Hope and Promise, with a ribbon cutting on Friday.
The center will provide services to those who are on the brink of homelessness, as well as those currently homeless.
The 75,000-square-foot building will provide space for social service agencies, case management, education, mental health services, a Recuperative Care Unit, medical care, job skills training, housing and career development, legal services, food and clothing.
"We are incredibly proud to open this new Community Center, which represents the work of countless individuals to support hope and healing for all,” said Stuart Harper, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Buffalo City Mission.
“For more than 100 years, the City Mission and this community have embodied what it means to be a City of Good Neighbors. Today is a special moment for this effort, as we recognize our city’s resilience, generosity, and collaboration to lift up the lives of our region’s poor and homeless.”
Highlights of the new building include:
- Community and Preventative Services – A 9,300-square-foot community space – known as “The Center” – that features a state-of-the-art medical clinic staffed and managed by Jericho Road, mental health services, partner agency service access, case management, education, food and clothing pantry, and meals served 365 days a year.
- Emergency Shelter – Expanding beyond the City Mission’s current space, this area is designed to significantly improve guests’ health and safety.
- Transitional Housing – Built on the City Mission’s Transitional Housing Program, this platform provides each individual with a pathway to a stable life through the Mission’s holistic programing, education, and skill training resources, to lift them out of poverty and onto a pathway to a better life. This area includes 13 Resident Suites, totaling 52 independent units, a chapel, educational classrooms, and a computer lab – all designed to empower self-sufficiency for all guests.
- Recuperative Care Unit – A dedicated space providing 13 hospital units, in collaboration with area healthcare providers, to extend home medical care to the physically and mentally ill following a discharge from a hospital.
In addition to the Friday's ribbon cutting ceremony, the mission also announced that is has already raised $15,124,374 for the Next Century Capital Campaign, which was established to support construction of the new center, and exceeded its $15 million goal.
For more information on the Alfiero Family Center of Hope and Promise, check out their website here: buffalocitymission.org/nextcentury.
