One thing happening with old crumbling Philly churches, whose stones once served as testaments to the eyes and ornaments of the West Philly skyline, is their use for emergency homeless shelters and community programs.

The Christ Memorial Church, at sunset

One example of this is the Christ Memorial Church, located at 4233 Chestnut St., where more than a hundred women and children are currently housed at the Jane Addams Place every night. Meanwhile, certain areas of the structure are in serious disrepair, with stones literally falling out of the facade. The fence surrounding the site makes one wonder if the church is abandoned or possibly for sale- this is what caught our eye in the first place.

The fence

In 2004, the church was struck by lightning. Later that day, its 170-foot-tall steeple toppled to the ground, severely damaging the building. Up until then, the church had been home to an elementary school, a congregation, and the Jane Addams Place. The fallen obelisk caused over $8M worth of damage to the building, but the insurance money didn’t cover the full cost of repairs, according to a 2009 City Paper story. After this random act of God, the school and congregation moved away, while the homeless shelter remained. The church was sold for $700K in 2007.

Stones coming loose

Jane Addams Place is an emergency shelter for homeless mothers who cannot find a place to sleep. It can house women for two to three months, though some stay as long as a year. Its staffers help the mothers find work, while their children are offered daycare services, and mother/child bonding activities.

As of late, the Jane Addams Place has been called upon to serve beyond its capabilities. It is supposed to accommodate 29 women and their children. But since September, there has been a citywide spike in women in need of a shelters’ services, according to Kelly Davis, who works at the center and is also the interim director of the Lutheran Settlement House (LSH) in Fishtown (Jane Addams is an off-shoot of LSH). Temporary mats have been used to house additional people, “because there is nowhere else for them to go,” Davis said. She cited the lingering recession and recent turmoil within the Philadelphia Housing Authority as two reasons that begin to explain the recent rise in the number of homeless women.

Seventy percent of poor working Philadelphians do not earn enough money to pay for adequate housing, Davis said, citing a statistic offered at a conference she attended last week hosted by Philly’s Office of Supportive Housing. Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, who Davis said understands the homelessness issue, is somehow involved in allowing the church to be used for this shelter.

In a perfect world, Philadelphia’s beautiful old churches would stand strong and tall, and be repaired where necessary. We hope that this church can stand in time as a testament to the architecture and an America that once was. Short of that, we’re pleased to see the good-faith service happening there now, even though the steeple has fallen. Hopefully, dollars can be found to perform the necessary long-term deferred maintenance for the building so that this good work can continue.

–Lou Mancinelli