The Impact of Open Hand Ministries

Please join the Mission Board and Neighbors Committee as the Rev. Michael Stanton, executive director of Open Hand Ministries (OHM), updates us on the impact of OHM in East Liberty and Garfield.

ELPC is a founding church of OHM, which was established in 2008, following the success of the 2007 East End Blitz. OHM reflects the desire of several neighborhood churches to develop an ongoing ministry to address the injustices of unequal access to wealth-building activity (such as home ownership), create neighborhood stability, and break the cycles of poverty. OHM promotes social justice in our community by helping families become wealth-builders, rehabilitating vacant properties, and remaining in supportive relationships with families after they become homeowners.

In the last 10 years, OHM has:

• Helped 12 families become homeowners;
• Assisted more than 16 families through family development programs; and
• Rehabbed more than 20 properties in East Liberty and Garfield.

OHM’s work to provide affordable housing in our changing neighborhoods is an important part of East Liberty’s overall development plan. ELPC supports OHM through yearly mission grants, volunteers for work days and family development programs, and board membership.

For details about this program, email Emily Rosenthal at ejr116@gmail.com or call Pastor Patrice at 412.441.3800. For more information about OHM, visit OpenHandPgh.org. To learn more about housing development in East Liberty, visit EastLiberty.org.