The launch of Helping Hands Homeless Shelter has officially been announced with the founding capital campaign, Hope Starts Here.
The hope of the campaign is to expand access for shelters, stability, and potential long-term housing solutions in the Erie community.
Joseph Cancilla, community advocate and nonprofit leader, has been the front runner of the campaign with a personal tether. This work is rooted in the family legacy of service. Cancilla follows in his aunt Kathleen “Kitty’s” footsteps. Kitty had helped start Community Shelter Services which started as a small residential house on East 26th Street.
Cancilla’s father dedicated 40 years to Community Shelter Services including two decades as the Emergency Shelter Director.
“On days off from school and throughout the summers, I was there,” said Cancilla. “Sorting donations, helping in the office, helping in the playroom, assisting in the kitchen. Those experiences shaped how I understand homelessness—not as a statistic, but as people. Families. Neighbors. Human beings who need stability, compassion, and opportunity.”
The new campaign will support facility acquisition, renovations, furnishings, and the essential start-up funding needed to open the shelter and begin operations.
Through transparency, community partnership, and measurable impact, every contribution will directly support those on their path out of homelessness.
“This isn’t about recreating the past,” Cancilla added. “It’s about building on it—taking what I learned growing up and creating something sustainable for the future. Hope Starts Here is an invitation for our community to come together and be part of a solution that restores dignity, stability, and hope.”
For more information about Helping Hands Homeless Shelter or the Hope Starts Here Capital Campaign visit, www.helpinghandshelter.com. Donations can be made here.