The Allegheny Valley Association of Churches (AVAC) is made up of both clergy and lay people from 54 member churches in the Allegheny Valley area. Since 1958, AVAC has provided an ecumenical agency for cooperation in evangelism, mission, Christian education, worship, and social concerns. AVAC reaches out to people in communities throughout the Allegheny Valley region, with all programming respectful of all faith traditions. Services are provided without regard to religious beliefs or any other factors of discrimination. AVAC is committed to providing a wide range of services to all needy members of the communities we serve, including the homeless, those living in poverty, the elderly, and sick or disabled individuals. Unlike many social services programs, AVAC's programming is designed to help poor individuals and families achieve self-sufficiency and reach a point where they are no longer dependent on agencies. As an ecumenical association of churches, we also recognize the need to go beyond just meeting the physical needs of our communities and to satisfy their spiritual needs as well. Two of our current initiatives directly provide food to families and individuals experiencing food insecurity. We operate a regular food pantry that provides monthly food allotments to those who are registered with the program. Our pantry is open every Wednesday and provides a variety of staples to those who attend. Since we are in an area with little to no public transportation we actually take our 15 passenger van out into the community and pick-up any registered participant in need of transportation, deliver them to the pantry to get their food and then take them home. Another initiative we offer is in collaboration with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. We host a mass distribution in northern Allegheny County and provide approximately 40-50 pounds of fresh produce and other food items on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at Pittsburgh Mills Mall in the former JC Penney parking lot. Participants do not need to be registered to receive food, they simply verify that they have a need with a simple signature. We are the only food pantry in our area and are committed to serving those in need. Nearly a third of the people we serve are senior citizens, who depend greatly on our ability to supplement their monthly food supply. We also offer 2 housing programs, a shelter for families experiencing homelessness and 22 units of permanent supportive housing for families and individuals that have a disability and are homeless. Both programs offer case management and supports to assist participants in achieving their greatest level of self-sufficiency. Our newly renovated shelter for families with children is located in Brackenridge and has capacity to house 27 people at a time. Families are provided with supports beyond case management to assist in their journey to obtain permanent housing. Approximately 85% of families we house exit the program into permanent or long-term housing.