Our History
Building relationships with the homeless for 18+ years…
In 2005, CityGate Network, a national organization with over 100 years of experience in the homeless rescue business, had an initiative combined with localized missions to plant new Rescue Mission in areas where none existed. CityGate, in partnership with the Rescue Missions in York and Lancaster, PA, and Washington, DC, decided they would provide the seed money and a Board for Keystone Mission. The organizations hired an individual to come to lead the new Rescue Mission.
In 2005, the Keystone Mission started feeding homeless individuals off the back of a box truck in Scranton. Late in 2006, the first buildings at 8–12 West Olive St. in Scranton were purchased. The buildings were dedicated on Jan 25, 2007. Meals started being served out of the W. Olive Street’s building on Friday–Monday evenings. Over the next few years, clothing and food distribution programs began for homeless and low-income individuals and families.
In 2008, a private donor donated the building at our 290 Parkview Circle location in Wilkes-Barre. The location was specifically used to begin a long-term men’s residential addiction recovery program. This program, called the Life Change Program, was in existence until 2019.
In 2009, both the Scranton and Wilkes-Barre locations focused on Message and a Meal which provided a hot meal and a gospel presentation on the weekends (Friday to Monday), food, and clothing distribution programs to the homeless and low-income individuals/families.
In 2019, Keystone Mission refined their focus to provide help and hope to men and women who are broken and experiencing homelessness in Northeast PA.
All distribution programs were discontinued to restructure staff and resources towards providing programs that are geared to educate, train, and teach men and women how to build themselves up. All of this is made possible through strategic partnership with community organizations and agencies.
In 2020, the organization has new programs like The Innovation Center for Homelessness and Poverty, located at 12 West Olive Street. The programs empower and equip guests to better themselves by taking steps to seek medical, mental health, and drug/alcohol treatment, education and job readiness training, housing assistance, and aid to obtain their government IDs, health insurance, and social security benefits.
In 2022, the 15-bed Transformation Center opened to take men off the street and places them in a controlled environment with the purpose of equipping them to turn their lives around. The program is structured through 5-pillars: Heart and Mind, Job Readiness, Life Skills, Spiritual Training, and Self-Care. All men who are accepted into the program will go on a journey to free themselves through addiction, seek the right medical/mental health treatment, receive education and trade training, and be set up for success.
In 2023, Keystone opened their second Innovation Center for Homelessness & Poverty in Wilkes-Barre. This Center mirrors the programming in our Scranton location and in 2024, the Center opened to host 365-Overnight Shelter for men and women experiencing homelessness to have a place to rest during the night no matter the weather conditions.
To date, Keystone Mission continues to provide meals on the weekend (Friday–Monday) but the approach has changed to “to-go meals.” The Weekend Meal Outreach is powered by staff and volunteers, takes a portion of resources on the road to seek out guests in the community. The approach is to build connections and make sure the guests are safe and healthy.
Keystone Mission is the broker of relationships while volunteers, community leaders, and agencies provide their services that better the men and women experiencing homelessness.
Staying connected is better!
Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter to receive stories of transformation, organizational insights, and learn more about how you can get involved with Keystone Mission!
Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter to receive stories of transformation, organizational insights, and learn more about how you can get involved with Keystone Mission!
