The site for St. Rita Place & Cascia Center was for many years a vacant lot located along S. Broad Street in South Philadelphia. This prominent corner location has now been transformed with a new, five-story, mixed-use building which serves both the adjacent St. Rita of Cascia Church & Shrine and the neighborhood beyond by providing both affordable housing for seniors as well as a center for peace and reconciliation.

In siting the new building, the main structure sits tight along Broad and Ellsworth Streets, opening to a newly created Plaza located between the new building and the adjacent, early 20th century limestone church. At the ground level, the building slices back, creating both a vista and an entryway to this Plaza, inviting residents, pilgrims, and visitors alike into a lushly landscaped outdoor space.

The Cascia Center occupies 7,500 sf at the first floor. The Center serves several purposes - first as a gathering place for pilgrims visiting the National Shrine of St. Rita of Cascia next door, as well as a center for peace and reconciliation. With large windows facing both Broad Street and the Plaza, the work of the Cascia Center serves as a beacon of hope in the neighborhood and beyond.

Developed by Catholic Housing & Community Services, this project was funded through Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency's low-income housing tax credit program and provides affordable housing for seniors, many of whom have lived in this neighborhood their entire lives. With the amount of gentrification surrounding this site, this project ensures a place for low-income seniors on Broad Street.

St. Rita Place provides permanent housing for 46 low-income seniors at the second through fifth floors in a prominent location adjacent a beloved neighborhood landmark. In addition, the Cascia Center will become a safe place for the community where conflict can be safely medicated. These two uses come together in a vibrant mixed-use building that celebrates and encourages those who live, work, and gather here.