Ten-year anniversary of City Mission fire: ‘A remarkable and unprecedented transformation’
Ten years ago, on June 9, 2015, a devastating fire tore through City Mission’s campus, destroying the chapel, kitchen, dining hall, medical clinic and men’s dormitories. In that time of loss and extreme need, the community rallied to support City Mission — a rehabilitative homeless shelter in Washington, Pa. — in extraordinary ways.
Donations poured in: monetary gifts, food donations, clothing donations for City Mission residents who had lost all their possessions in the fire. It was a remarkable show of support that laid the groundwork for an unprecedented transformation of the City Mission campus.
On the morning of Monday, June 9, City Mission hosted a chapel service at The Porter Pillow and Peggie Beaver-Pillow Chapel for its residents and employees. The event included a short video (shown below) highlighting the effects of the fire and the transformation that occurred over the last 10 years. City Mission Director of Residential Programs Leah Dietrich added remarks about the restorative and healing power of God.
“While many people may not have been fully aware of the Mission’s work, the day of the fire brought significant attention to the shelter across our region,” said President/CEO Diana Irey Vaughan. “The outpouring of initial support validated former President/CEO Dean Gartland’s vision of expanding services and developing the campus into a holistic resource for addressing the complex challenges faced by individuals experiencing homelessness. With each phase of growth, our donors have played a crucial role in turning that vision into reality.”
Because of the community’s foundational support after the fire and continued partnership over the past 10 years, City Mission has been able to expand remarkably and give back to the community in extraordinary ways:
• Increased shelter capacity from 96 to 174 beds
• Built a commercial-grade kitchen (2017) that served 84,912 meals to residents and the community last year
• Opened the Ansys Career Training & Education Center (2017), which helped 129 individuals obtain jobs last year
• Launched the Crabtree-Kovacicek Veterans House (2018), a 22-bed shelter for homeless veterans
• Built the City Mission Medical Clinic, which was able to provide 14,319 medical services in 2024
• Expanded the Women with Children Center (2018), offering 11 fully furnished apartments with on-site childcare
• Opened Sally’s House (2022), a 15-bed shelter for single women in the Next Step program.
• And in September 2025, City Mission plans to open a new 50-bed Women’s Shelter — a sanctuary of healing, hope, and fresh starts. The opening of this facility will raise the total bed capacity from 174-210.
• In 2024, 150 individuals successfully moved out of City Mission and into independent living, moving from homeless to hopeful
“I am deeply moved by the outpouring of love and support from our community,” said Vaughan. “Time and again, our donors’ generous spiritual and financial support has ensured that we never faltered in our mission to provide food, shelter, and hope to those in need. Our doors have remained open, the tables have remained full, and hearts have remained uplifted.”
President/CEO Diana Irey Vaughan is available to answer questions about the unprecedented transformation of the City Mission campus and its positive impact on homelessness and our community. Please contact Gary Porter, Communications Manager, at 724-222-8530 ext. 236.
Please give today and help shape the future of City Mission: citymission.org/donate.
About City Mission: For over 83 years, City Mission in Washington, Pa., has sheltered, healed, and restored the homeless to independent living — without discrimination. City Mission’s comprehensive program addresses both short-term needs like food and shelter, and long-term needs, including drug and alcohol counseling, mental health and medical treatment, legal aid, and employment training. City Mission’s goal is to help each man, woman, mother with children, or veteran who walks through our doors to become a healthy, productive member of society. With your help, we can help our residents renew their lives.
This has been a paid article submitted by our content partner.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.