Pittsburgh’s East End has been served by EECM since 1970, when the leaders of 18 local faith groups joined forces to aid homeless adults and at-risk youth. Now EECM operates its initiatives – including temporary housing, feeding, recovery, drug prevention, and educational programs – out of a light-filled 56,000-square-foot community house, launched in October 2013.

Occupying what was once a blighted lot, the facility boasts a LEED Platinum certification for energy and environmental design. Akoya will soon complete a five-year commitment to the $15 million capital campaign behind this extraordinary new resource. A not-to-be-missed feature is The Once and Future City, a massive 25-foot-tall mural in the gathering room. This collaboration by muralist Doug Cooper and architect Stefani Danes, who worked on the project with summer day camp youth, depicts the ever-changing nature of the East End, celebrating both its “gritty” past and dynamic future.