Project Hospitality

Project Hospitality was founded in 1982 as an outreach of Brighton Heights Reformed Church in Staten Island, New York. It began in the basement of the church as a soup kitchen and shelter for the homeless, and its only staff was the Rev. Roland Ratmeyer, pastor of the congregation. Within two years the budget of the project surpassed that of the church, and Project Hospitality was incorporated as a separate not-for-profit organization.

Under the leadership of president and chief executive officer Terry Troia, Project Hospitality has expanded over the years into a multifaceted organization that serves the needs of more than five thousand people each year. Included in Project Hospitality's ministries are 1) several emergency overnight shelter facilities, 2) a transitional housing residence for twenty-three formerly homeless people, 3) Hospitality House, a residence for homeless women and children, 4) an HIV/AIDS legal advocacy program, and 5) a center for HIV care. Your support of Project Hospitality will enable congregations to send volunteers to Staten Island to participate in the various segments of the hospitality program, to learn firsthand what it means to minister to the poor in the city, and to study the theological dimensions of social service in an urban setting.