A “Ground Blessing” ceremony took place on Monday, Aug. 5 at one of two new Light of Life sites on the Northside.

By NSC Staff

Photo courtesy of Light of Life

On Monday, August 5, Light of Life Rescue Mission held a “Ground Blessing” ceremony at one of two of its new sites on the Northside, located at 234 Voeghtly St. on the North Shore. The new building at Voeghtly and East Lacock Streets, along with a fully renovated space at 635 Ridge Pl., which is still being developed, are the future of Light of Life.

The Voeghtly Street building is 23,850 square feet, will include 50 beds and will take an estimated 14 months to complete, while the Ridge Place building renovations are set to begin in the summer of 2020. The Ridge Place building is 44,000 square feet, and renovation plans include adding a third floor, which will grow the space to a total of 66,000 square feet. The Ridge Place building will eventually serve as Light of Life’s headquarters and include the Men’s Life Recovery Program, the Women and Children’s Program, men’s overnight beds, the facility’s main kitchen, and the organization’s administrative offices. Costs for these projects will total $20 million.

Light of Life, which has been in operation for 67 years, is a Christian nonprofit organization that provides recovery programs, food, and shelter for poor and homeless people in Pittsburgh. It is currently operating out of three locations: One on East North Avenue, another on Western Avenue, and a final, rented space at New Hope Church, located on West North Avenue.