From the legislature to Project HOME: Pa. state Rep. Donna Bullock to bring ‘fighting spirit’ in new role as CEO

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Pennsylvania state Rep. Donna Bullock has been appointed as the new CEO of Project HOME and will take over the day-to-day operations this summer.

The decision comes nearly a year after co-founders Sister Mary Scullion and Joan McConnon announced they would be stepping down. The organization they started in a locker room of a swimming pool provided Philadelphians experiencing homelessness with places to stay for more than three decades.

“Donna is compassionate, servant-minded and mission-driven,” Scullion said via  press release. “She’s spent her career advocating for the underserved, fighting to ensure everyone has a voice. I’m certain she’ll bring that same fighting spirit to her work at Project HOME and I look forward to supporting her as we strive to make our vision a reality: None of us are home until all of us are home.”

Bullock has represented the 195th Legislative District for the past nine years and has also served as the Majority Chair for the Children and Youth Committee and Ethics Committee. Bullock told WHYY News that there are skills she’s developed as a legislator that can transition to her new role within the organization.

“Advocating for policy that is important to a group of folks, whether it’s voters or constituency or the Project HOME community and individuals who are experiencing homelessness in our city,” Bullock said. “Understanding how policy is so important to their lives and impacts their lives every day is going to be significant, but also understanding how to garner support and get folks behind the work that you are doing, get that buy-in.”

Bullock said Project HOME is an organization she’s respected over the years, especially considering her own experiences growing up.

“I personally have had experiences growing up with housing insecurity, growing up visiting a local soup kitchen and having my meals with folks who were living on the streets In my hometown of New Brunswick,” Bullock said. “Considering all of those folks that I sat and had meals with to be family because I believe you know, wholeheartedly those folks that you break bread with, that you eat your meals with, are your family.”

In a press release, Gov. Josh Shapiro called Project HOME “one of the most effective and important community organizations in the city.”

“I can think of no one better to build on their legacy and expand their impact than Donna Bullock,” Shapiro said. “Project HOME is in good hands, and I look forward to all the work we’ll do together to serve the good people of Pennsylvania.”

Scullion and McConnon will remain actively involved in Project HOME. McConnon will stay on through July 31, and Scullion will lead onboarding and transition efforts through Dec. 31. Both will consult on Project HOME’s Estadt-Lubert Collaborative for Housing and Recovery through 2028.