In order to bring about positive change in the community, we work in collaboration with neighborhood stakeholders in the areas of Planning, Advocacy, Facilitation, and Investment.
Planning
We enable our stakeholders and experts to build consensus, data, and processes that help lead to neighborhood change.
Planning Activities:
- community plans
- design guidelines
- traffic studies
- business plans
- formation and stewardship of stakeholder groups to prioritize community projects
Examples of Our Planning Work:
- Bakery Row Plan
- the East Liberty Boulevard Traffic Study
- the Streetscape guidelines and the East Liberty email action teams.
Advocacy
We advocate for stakeholders and issues within the East Liberty community, and also on a more regional level. Our efforts are always focused on furthering the goals and visions within our community plan and other planning documents.
Our internal advocacy within East Liberty often includes taking a stance on behalf of stakeholders when different projects are proposed or underway. For example, we may stand in opposition of nonconforming uses of our commercial core, or support the creation of a Neighborhood Improvement District.
Our external advocacy within the larger region is most often focused on representing the interest of East Liberty by taking stances on public policy or regulation. In the past we have voiced support for changes in the commitment of regional authorities to green infrastructure, and we have stood up in opposition to budgetary cuts to public transit.
Facilitation
We work with many community partners to achieve goals laid out in stakeholder supported plans, most notably the East Liberty Community Plan. As facilitators, our representatives build relationships, navigate public processes, and raise resources for partners seeking to achieve their missions in East Liberty.
Examples of Our Facilitation Work:
- The Eastside development
- the Penn Circle two-way conversion
- tree plantings
- vacant lot transformation
- supporting private developers like The Community Builders and McCormack Baron Salazar
Investment
We directly contribute to the future of East Liberty by investing in development deals of other entities in businesses in the community. We believe that by investing in these projects, we support our partners, encourage good practices like local workforce hiring, gain a voice in project planning, and provide a long term return to the Community Based Organization (CBO).
The capital we invest is provided by foundations, government programs, and other sources.
Examples of Our Recent Investment Projects:
- the Eastside development
- Target
- Staples
- several other small businesses
Partners
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh
For more than 46 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh has been recognized as the premier mentoring organization in the region. Since 1965, they have matched more than 19,000 children with responsible, caring adult mentors.
Learn more: bbbspgh.org
Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation
The Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation seeks to better the social, economic, and physical fabric of the Bloomfield, Garfield, and Friendship neighborhoods by engaging and inspiring members of the community.
Learn more: bloomfield-garfield.org
Catapult Greater Pittsburgh
The Catapult mission is to connect families to emergency resources, peer-to-peer support, wealth building, trauma-informed financial counseling, and policy advocacy to ensure that systematically disenfranchised communities can meaningfully achieve economic justice and lead dignified and equitable lives.
Learn more: catapultpittsburgh.org
East End Cooperative Ministry
Since 1970, East End Cooperative Ministry has been building a community of opportunity in Pittsburgh’s East End. An interfaith ministry, they are dedicated to helping vulnerable adults and at-risk children and youth throughout our East End neighborhoods.
Learn more: eecm.org
Family Resources
Family Resources fights child abuse in western Pennsylvania, working with health care providers and social service organizations to help parents and other caregivers raise happy, healthy children.
Learn more: familyresourcesofpa.org
HELP Initiative
The Homewood, East Hills, East Liberty, Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar, and Larimer Protection Initiative (HELP) is a comprehensive resident-driven initiative to protect, strengthen, and rebuild targeted East End communities.
Learn more: helppgh.org
Open Hand Ministries
A ministry of four churches, Open Hand Ministries respond to social injustice and inequality plaguing our city by providing opportunities for sustainable and affordable homeownership for families in fragile situations.
Learn more: openhandpgh.org
Pittsburgh Green House
The Pittsburgh Green House is an education, training, and resource center dedicated to educating homeowners and renters as well as contractors about all things related to residential energy and water savings, and home health.
Learn more: pittsburghgreenhouse.org
Familylinks
Each year, Familylinks directly serves more than 9,000 of our most vulnerable friends, loved ones and neighbors in western Pennsylvania. With a wide range of programs and services, they help people dealing with any number of challenges: addiction, mental health issues, intellectual disability, family conflict, abuse or neglect, homelessness, or the difficulties presented when trying to remain independent while growing older.
Learn more: http://www.familylinks.org/
Initiatives
Catapult Greater Pittsburgh
In addition to being one of our partners, Catapult Greater Pittsburgh is a key initiative we are investing in to grow homeownership and entrepreneurship opportunities throughout the neighborhood.
Through Catapult’s D.O.O.R. and K.E.Y. homeownership programs we are preparing our Affordable Homeownership Opportunities program participants for the trials of homeownership. Meanwhile, Catapult’s Startup to Storefront business incubator program is a driver of minority entrepreneurship in the neighborhood.