A Community Choosing
a Hand Up
Local volunteers, churches, and partners serving together where help is needed most.
What We’re About
Downtown Tyrone is shaped by people who show up consistently and with compassion. This site highlights the work and goals of those serving our community with the kind of love that begins with Jesus and moves outward.
What Calvary Tyrone Does
Calvary Tyrone partners with volunteers from several local churches to meet practical needs that already exist in Tyrone. They provide simple, steady support for people who are struggling, many of them seniors, families, and long-time Tyrone residents who are facing food insecurity.
During the colder months, Calvary offers free community meals three evenings a week. Throughout the week, the church is open for coffee, conversation, laundry, and a warm shower. Volunteers sit with guests, listen to their stories, and help connect them with resources.
Calvary’s role is short-term support, encouragement, and connection. They help people take the next steps toward stability by linking them with services such as CareerLink, local counselors, mental health providers, and drug and alcohol treatment programs when needed. Calvary also assists with identification, budgeting, paperwork, and navigating available community resources.
Everything they do is done with structure, accountability, and clear expectations. Calvary Tyrone’s goal is simple: to help local people move from crisis toward a healthier and more stable place, while being good neighbors in downtown Tyrone.
Important Clarification: Property Taxes
A change in ownership does not remove a building from the tax rolls.
Under Pennsylvania Law, ownership by a church does not make an entire building tax-exempt. The Pennsylvania Constitution states that only the portion of a property “actually and regularly used” for charitable purposes may be exempt (Pa. Const. Art. VIII, § 2(a)(v)). The state statute governing exemptions says the same: mixed-use buildings stay taxable, and residential rental units must remain on the tax rolls unless the tenant and the use directly serve the charity’s mission (72 P.S. § 5020-204(a)(3)).
Answers to Common Concerns
Sharing the truth about how we serve downtown Tyrone
Is Calvary Church bringing people in from Altoona or other cities?
No. The people they serve are already in Tyrone. Some are unhoused and sometimes individuals are found behind the library, near the river, under the overpass, or at the train station. Many others have housing but are struggling to afford food. Out of the forty-two individuals Calvary has worked with more closely, forty have direct ties to Tyrone. They do not bus people in, recruit from other communities, or import problems from elsewhere.
Will current tenants be asked to leave if the church buys the buildings?
No. No one will be displaced. The people who live in these apartments are neighbors, and they would remain exactly where they are. Calvary is not taking over the apartments, reorganizing them, or removing anyone. If a unit becomes vacant on its own in the future, Calvary may use that opening to help a local person who cannot afford full rent. But no one who currently lives in the building will be asked to move, now or later.
Is Calvary Tyrone planning to open a homeless shelter?
No. Calvary Tyrone is not opening a homeless shelter. They do not have the capacity, staffing, or intention to run one. Calvary’s work is focused on short-term support; meals, conversation, laundry, showers, and connecting people with the right services. If the church purchases the buildings, they would only use vacant apartments to help local residents take steps toward stability, not to create a shelter or long-term facility.
Is this going to make downtown less safe?
There is no evidence that Calvary’s ministry has created safety issues. In ten years downtown, and seven years of meals and open hours, they have not had a single police incident connected to our outreach. The people they serve are already part of Tyrone; parents, seniors, families, and longtime residents who are struggling financially. When people receive support, connection, and next-step guidance, the community becomes safer, not less safe. Calvary’s goal is to help reduce crisis, not increase it.
Is Calvary moving homeless people into the apartments above the church?
No. We do not place anyone in any apartment. The current tenants were here long before this discussion, and they will remain. The apartments are managed by an outside owner/company, not by Calvary. If Calvary eventually purchase the buildings, the only apartments the church ministry would use are ones that become vacant on their own, and only to help a local resident who is already connected to Tyrone and willing to participate in a structured plan. There is no scenario where people from outside communities are moved in.
Are the disturbances in the apartment building connected to Calvary’s ministry?
No. The apartments above and around the church have long been home to residents who receive housing vouchers or other assistance, and those situations existed well before our ministry began. Any noise or activity in the stairwells or fire escapes is related to the everyday life of that building’s residents.
Are drugs or active drug use being allowed inside the church or apartments?
No. Calvary does not permit drug use of any kind inside the church. Families, and children of all ages attend Calvary church. If someone comes to the church while actively using, Calvary would pray for them, connect them with professional treatment programs, not to house them or enable their behavior. Calvary has clear expectations, structured guidelines, and volunteers present whenever the building is open.
The apartments above and around the church are not operated by Calvary. They have long been home to residents who are on vouchers or other assistance, and any issues related to drug use in those units existed before Calvary’s outreach. Their ministry does not supervise, manage, or control those apartments. Their involvement is limited to short-term support, guidance, and referrals to the right services.
What happens if someone refuses help or doesn’t follow expectations?
Calvary Tyrone is glad to help anyone who is willing to take steps toward stability, but we also have clear expectations. If someone chooses not to follow those expectations, whether it involves behavior, participation, or next-step efforts, then Calvary is simply not the right place for them. They do not allow disruptive behavior, drug use, or anything that puts others at risk.
At the same time, Calvary is a church. They do not send people away hungry or leave them without support. If someone truly doesn’t want to engage in a structured plan, Calvary will help them connect with other resources, or in some cases, help them return to a family member or hometown where they have support. The goal is always the same: to encourage healthier decisions while maintaining a safe, orderly environment for the church’s guests, volunteers, neighbors, and residents of Tyrone.
If the church buys the buildings, will it increase homelessness downtown?
No. Purchasing the buildings would not increase homelessness in Tyrone. The people Calvary serves are already in Tyrone, behind the library, near the river, under the overpass, at the train station, and in marginalized situations throughout the Tyrone area. Calvary’s goal is to help local individuals move from crisis toward stability, not attract new people to town.
If anything, having structured support, guidance, and clear expectations will reduce long-term instability, not add to it. Calvary Tyrone, or any Calvary affiliation is not advertising services outside the community, not recruiting from other towns, and not operating a shelter. Calvary simply want to help neighbors take the next steps toward a safer, more stable life.
Why does this work need to be downtown instead of somewhere else?
Calvary is open to another location if a realistic option exists. The issue is not about insisting on a downtown space, it is about what actually works for the people who already live in Tyrone and need these services. So far, no workable alternative has been identified, and placing support far outside the borough would make it harder for local residents to get help.
Many of the individuals served do not drive. Moving services miles away “so they are out of sight” would leave those same people without any way to reach food, guidance, or next-step support. That would increase instability, not reduce it.
The simple reality is that the need is already downtown. This is where people walk, wait for the bus, live in nearby apartments, and look for help. Keeping the work accessible is not about attracting new problems, it is about responding dutifully to the needs that already exist in Tyrone.
Is Calvary equipped to handle this kind of outreach?
Yes. This work is supported by more than one hundred volunteers from multiple local churches, along with partnerships with community organizations such as CareerLink, mental health providers, and drug and alcohol services. The meals are structured, supervised, and run by trained volunteers who know many of the guests personally at this point. Calvary also collaborates with local leaders and agencies to make sure people are connected to the right support, not just short-term help. This is a coordinated effort, not something happening in isolation.
What is the long-term goal of this ministry?
The goal is spreading the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ. As Christ followers we are ALL called to see our neighbors, and even our enemies, as individuals through the lens of love, and dignity, because Jesus first loved us. Calvary is not trying to create a shelter, expand homelessness, or run long-term housing. The purpose is to help people, real individuals, our neighbors, and residents move from crisis into steadier ground: onto the rock of Jesus, and then safe housing, consistent income, treatment when needed, and community support. When someone becomes stable, the entire community benefits, families, schools, neighborhoods, and downtown businesses. This is not a quick fix; it is caring for individuals who already call Tyrone home.
Let’s work together.
Tyrone is at our best when neighbors, businesses, churches, and local leaders work side by side for the good of the whole community. The needs we are addressing already exist here, and no single group can meet them alone. We believe partnership strengthens everyone.
If you have questions, concerns, or ideas, we would genuinely like to hear from you. We welcome honest, respectful conversations with residents, business owners, community organizations, and anyone who wants Tyrone to thrive. Whether it’s voicing your concerns constructively, pitching an idea, volunteering at a meal, offering professional guidance, or simply stopping in to see the ministry firsthand, your involvement matters.
Together, we can share dignity, respect, and the love of Jesus Christ, while supporting local people; our neighbors, to strengthen downtown, and build a healthier community for everyone who calls Tyrone home.