For years, an unassuming, unmarked wood-framed storefront on East Ohio Street was known on Pittsburgh’s North Side as a place where people in need could find help.
The Reaching Out On The Streets (ROOTS) Program drop-in center, operated by the City of Pittsburgh, offered connections for unhoused individuals and other people seeking assistance. It provided help with paperwork, links to housing, healthcare, pet care, county assistance and other support during weekday hours.
But the ROOTS center closed its doors at the beginning of October, after the city declined to renew the lease. And other local resource providers say they’re struggling to keep up in its absence…