BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A city-based nonprofit that provides housing, food access and social services is expanding, it was announced Wednesday.
New Bethany said it has acquired the former headquarters of the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem on Wyandotte Street — a move leaders say will significantly expand capacity to serve the community.
“We have doubled our staff to meet the increasing demand for services, and we are simply out of room to accommodate everyone. This new space will help us provide even more essential services to our community."New Bethany Executive Director J. Marc Rittle
The two-story, 6,000-square-foot building will let New Bethany grow its programs as it marks its 40th anniversary and continues to respond to the increased demand for services related to poverty, hunger and homelessness, a release said.
“We are deeply grateful to the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem for its collaboration and vision in facilitating this acquisition,” New Bethany Executive Director J. Marc Rittle said in the release.
“We have doubled our staff to meet the increasing demand for services, and we are simply out of room to accommodate everyone.
"This new space will help us provide even more essential services to our community."
The property transfer was finalized May 19, according to the release.
Since 2022, New Bethany has used space at Diocesan House for volunteer housing, meeting rooms and office functions, viewed as critical to its growth.
New Bethany was founded in the 1980s in partnership with the City of Bethlehem and the Cathedral Church of the Nativity.
Today, it provides emergency rental assistance, a food pantry and case management to thousands of individuals and families across the Lehigh Valley.
The Diocese of Bethlehem currently is merging with the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania and will move staff offices to space within the adjacent Nativity Cathedral, the release said.
