Genesis of Pittsburgh was established and incorporated in November 1973 as a hotline service for women experiencing unplanned pregnancies. In 1978 Genesis opened its first center providing counseling and free pregnancy testing. 

It soon became apparent that the greatest need for the young women Genesis served was housing during their pregnancies. The residence, Genesis House, opened on June 1, 1983. Since that time more than 1,300 young women have found shelter, counseling and care at this unique facility. 

Many of the young women who found themselves at Genesis House ultimately made the difficult decision to place their babies for adoption. At that time, Genesis worked with outside adoption providers to facilitate this service for the birth mothers. In 1991 Genesis of Pittsburgh became a licensed adoption and foster care agency in Pennsylvania, providing domestic, primarily infant, adoption services for birth parents and adoptive families. 

As Genesis continued to serve more and more pregnant women, the need from clients for assistance with clothing and baby equipment grew. In May 2000, Genesis Center, a two story facility opened with the first floor becoming the distribution center that is still in use today. 

The second floor of Genesis Center was remodeled in 2011 and is what we know now as the Genesis Learning Center. It houses a kitchen where nutrition classes are held, a small classroom for childbirth classes, a larger classroom for large group classes, and several small offices for counseling. 

While Genesis’ facilities were growing in the Bellevue area of Pittsburgh, Genesis also expanded its service area in Washington County. In 1983 a small office in the city of Washington became an additional site for pregnancy testing and clothing distribution. The Washington Center has grown to a full distribution site, offering counseling and a complete class schedule. 

In 2015, Genesis opened the Adoption Center in Avalon, PA.  The Adoption Center is where pregnant young women and their partners can be privately counseled if they are considering placing their child for adoption.  This center also serves as the administration offices for Genesis.  In 2019, Genesis opened it’s latest service, The Grandfamily Program, at this location.