Not surprisingly, requests for assistance from the Bethlehem Project are up substantially this year. A partnership between Blessed Sacrament Cathedral and Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Greensburg, the Bethlehem Project provides funds for emergency shelter or rental support, along with assistance to residents of three Westmoreland County shelters as they transition out of homelessness. “Like other charitable organizations, we are seeing a tremendous spike in need,” said incoming president and fundraising chair Suzanne English. “During August through October of last year, our outlays for rent support and emergency housing totaled under $3,000; this year, they total nearly $12,000 for the same period — a fourfold increase.”