Ribbons Cut For New Emergency Men's Shelter In Beaver County

Sep 27, 2023

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

Some projects take hours. Others take months. Few may even take several years.

In the case of the new Emergency Men's Shelter in Beaver County, it was all three.

Following years of fundraising, months of construction, and countless hours up until the ceremony itself…the official ribbon cutting for the new shelter facility in Vanport took place on the afternoon of June 5. The new facility, located on 697 State Street (Route 68), was manifested and will be under the operation of The Cornerstone of Beaver County (TCBC). The men's shelter will provide shelter to the homeless men of Beaver County and surrounding areas under 24-hour operation.

The new three-story shelter contains dozens of beds for rest for those who enter, a classroom, fully operational kitchen, fitness room, shower room, laundry room bathrooms, and multiple main gathering rooms…along with office spaces for the operations staff and isolation rooms to be used when necessary.

TCBC executive director Marie Timpano spoke about the new facility with elation and confidence, speaking about the origins of creating a shelter for men following the death of her brother, Michael, in 1996. "Beyond seeing the transformation of a building, I saw the opportunity to transform lives," she stated. "I have waited two and a half years–actually, I’ve been waiting twenty-seven years."

The "two and a half years" that Timpano referred to was the $1 million grant funding awarded to TCBC through the American Rescue Plan Act in 2021, which helped put the project in motion; in cooperation with the Beaver County Commissioners, the Beaver County CDP, and Vanport Township. The construction of the building began in 2022, with WTW Architecture and Graham Construction taking care of the tangible aspects.

Even though a building is now finalized in its renovated state, Timpano implied that the ribbon-cutting is just the beginning.

"Today is a huge step for us towards a vision of ending homelessness in Beaver County," Timpano added. "Some people will tell you that we don't have a homeless problem in Beaver County, and I’m here to tell you that we do…and I hope that the Cornerstone, and some of our partner agencies in the continuum of care, are part of the reason why we don't."

Timpano was joined at the podium by Maureen Herrington–President for the TCBC Board of Directors–along with Beaver County Commissioner Chairman Dan Camp and CDP director Marlene Landrum. TCBC board secretary Darrell Jerome presented Timpano with a check for $15,000 in grant funding from New York Life Insurance.

Also in attendance for the ceremony were County Commissioner Jack Manning, District Attorney David Lozier, Controller Maria Longo, Treasurer Sandie Egley, Beaver Falls mayor Dr. Kenya Johns, and Beaver Falls city manager Charles Jones–just to name a few.

The shelter will officially open for operation on June 12.

To view pictures from the ceremony, including a look at the interior spaces of the new Emergency Men's Shelter, check out the gallery below!