The Lemington Home cared for Pittsburgh’s African American community for more than a century. Founded in 1883 as a retirement home for former slaves, for many decades it was the oldest African American-sponsored nursing home in the United States.
The Lemington Home Fund was created in 1986, after heavy debts and cutbacks in state funding almost put the organization out of business. Grants from The Pittsburgh Foundation and other city philanthropies kept the home running while community leaders raised money for an endowment. “We knocked on every door and tapped every friend,” said Herman Mitchell, chairman of the home’s board, in an interview with The Chronicle of Philanthropy. They raised nearly $2 million from churches, corporations, foundations, and black sororities and fraternities.
Although the Lemington Home closed for good in 2005, its endowment fund continues to provide community-based services, in-home supports, assisted living services and nursing home care for Pittsburgh’s low-income African American seniors.