The Rev. Michael D. Wurschmidt is the son of a veteran. An Air Force veteran himself, he's been a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs chaplain for 11 years. And he's ministered to veterans who live on the streets, under bridges and in camps.

Now he's going to bring them to his church -- to live.

With a VA grant, local donations and a lot of faith, he is turning the second floor of the Shepherd's Heart Fellowship in Uptown into an "Engagement Center" for homeless veterans.

It will provide a safe place for those with drug and alcohol problems to detox prior to admittance into the local Highland Drive VA Medical Center's abuse program. And for graduates of that three- to six-month program, it will serve as transitional housing.

There are an estimated 200,000 homeless veterans in the country. Nearly half are combat veterans. On any given night in Allegheny County, there are as many as 1,700 veterans on the street.

"Shelters exist for women, for men, for women and their children," Mr. Wurschmidt said. "We don't have a place for the homeless veteran."

In fact, he said he was told by the VA that no similar facility currently exists in the country.

The VA grant of $59,525 was one of 52, totaling $11.6 million, that were announced this week for programs to assist homeless veterans.

"Pennsylvania's veterans answered their country's call to serve during its greatest times of need, and now some live without shelter," Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson said in a statement announcing the grants. "This grant will help them get back on the road to self-reliance."

Shepherd's Heart Fellowship's grant must be matched by an extra $31,500 in material, man hours and cash. Construction will turn the second floor at 13 Pride St. into 10 separate bedrooms, two full baths, a kitchen, dining room and computer classroom. Mr. Wurschmidt expects the facility to open in two months.

The church's sanctuary will remain on the third floor of the 134-year-old building, which Mr. Wurschmidt purchased last year with the help of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh. His homeless ministry draws more than 200 people on Sundays for the 5:15 p.m. service and the meal that follows.

About 75 area churches provide donations of food and clothing.

But the pastor's special interest in veterans led him to develop a housing program specifically for them. And through his ministry with them at the hospital and on the streets, he knew veterans needed a safe place to detox. In the past, he and his wife have taken veterans into their home in order to help them detox to qualify for the program.

"His chances of getting five or six days of clean time, when he's got to go back under the bridge where he's staying or back to the camp -- forget it," the pastor said. "Our goal is to give them that five-day decompression zone.

"I see the whole continuum of care needs. And now we will have it."

The goal is to help 20 veterans at a time. The ones who have completed the VA's alcohol and drug program and are using the Engagement Center as transitional housing will serve as mentors to the men preparing to enter the program.

"It's meant to be small," Mr. Wurschmidt said, "because we want it to work. We want it to work well so we can replicate it."

With the help of James P. White, a member of the development committee, Mr. Wurschmidt is developing a curriculum of sobriety, education and employment that they hope will be copied by other veterans' programs throughout the country.

"It takes a long time to gain their trust," he said. "Now we have their trust. We're very excited about it."