Village

“It takes a village to raise a child” is an African proverb that means an entire community of people must interact with children for those children to grow in a safe and healthy environment.

Organizations featured in this section are offering scholarships, internships and job openings to help sustain the Village.  

The United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania and The Pittsburgh Foundation have partnered to encourage donors and the general public to support United Way International’s response to the humanitarian crisis that is now facing the people of Ukraine.  

You may donate through the local campaign portal #PghUnitedForUkraine:
Funds will support organizations with expertise in humanitarian relief efforts, including:  United Way Romania. United Way Hungary. Fundacja Dobrych Inicjatyw (Good Initiatives Foundation) in Poland. No fees will be charged for donations, although there may be some administrative costs for nonprofit organizations delivering aid in the affected countries.  For Pittsburgh Foundation fundholders: If you are a Pittsburgh Foundation fundholder and wish to give through your advised fund, please contact your donor services representative or login to the donor portal and recommend a grant (include "Ukraine" in comments field). 

More than 1 million people have fled Ukraine, a number expected to rise to 4 million before the conflict is over. With your help, we can support those displaced by the violence, providing life-saving relief.   The immediate neighboring countries, Poland, Romania and Hungary, are expecting the biggest waves of people escaping the violence.   The conflict is devastating for Ukrainians, whose lives have been upended and whose future is uncertain. In accordance with our mission of mobilizing the caring power of communities for the common good, United Way is launching the United for Ukraine Fund in response to this urgent and growing humanitarian crisis.   The immediate support will cover:    Transportation  Shelter  Food and medicines  Critical childcare supplies, including infant formula and diapers  Hygiene kits, and more   This situation is fluid and there is no doubt the needs will be great and will continue for some time.  Funds will be used to support our partners on the ground, United Way Hungary, United Way Romania and FDI Poland. As the crisis evolves, United Way may identify additional partners on the ground to support the needs of Ukraine's displaced.

More Information: https://give.unitedwayswpa.org/comm/SinglePageRegPledge.jsp?EnvelopeKeyHex=2A5441403E46523173507E3E&DA=18169656

Create with other students from around the region. Experience art in an immersive environment inspired by nature. Expand your creative potential. Ages 14-17

Participants (Ages 14-17) will have access to our fully equipped studio spaces while they live on campus. Evenings are open for demonstrations, group activities or work in the studio. Students are housed in single-sex dormitories or cabins. The dining hall is central to campus where delicious home-cooked meals are served with fresh local ingredients. All students take a turn helping out in the kitchen and keeping the campus clean.

Teen Week Scholarships Available, 100% Tuition, Room, & Board.

More Information: https://www.touchstonecrafts.org/workshops/teen-week

 (November 30, 2021) Mayor William Peduto joined Thomas Boyd, Sr. of TomTom24 Development, LLC as well as the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA), Neighborhood Allies and other elected official, stakeholder and community partners to break ground on a revitalization project at 2178 Centre Avenue in the Hill District. The project will transform the former historic Hamm’s Barber Shop into the new home of Mr. Boyd’s Big Tom’s Barbershop while also creating affordable housing units and community space along the Hill District’s Centre Avenue business district.  

Mr. Boyd will relocate his business to the first floor of the rehabilitated structure. The second and third floors will be rehabbed into four one-bedroom apartments affordable to households at or below 80% Area Median Income (AMI). The adjacent lots will be beautified and used as open space for the community and for pop-up sales and product demonstrations from local home-based businesses.  

"Today is truly a celebration as we recognize the work of my friend and community champion Thomas Boyd. Big Tom’s is a staple in the Hill District community and it’s momentous that he will be redeveloping the historic Hamm’s to be the new home of his barbershop and using the opportunity to meet the community’s need for housing and shared space for community entrepreneurs,” said Mayor Peduto. “I’d like to thank him, as well as the funding partners who have joined us in supporting this redevelopment. This significant investment in the historic Hill District business district will be one of many we will see as part of the Hill community plans and the Avenues of Hope initiative.” 

The new Big Tom’s Barbershop project arose from a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) the URA released in July 2019 seeking multiple developers to purchase and redevelop any portion of 170 publicly-owned parcels along the Centre Avenue corridor in the Middle Hill neighborhood. The goal of the RFQ was to select developers to bring uses and concepts identified as priorities by the community in the 2015 Centre Avenue Corridor Redevelopment and Design Plan and the 2011 Greater Hill District Master Plan.    

Mr. Boyd presented his proposal at a community meeting hosted by City Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle in September 2020 and received a community approval score of 100%.  

“We couldn’t be more excited for Big Tom and this project which will break new ground in the Hill District,” said URA Deputy Executive Director Dr. Diamonte Walker. “The success of this project will not only signal catalytic change along the Centre Avenue corridor, but also paves the way for future commercial revitalization projects which simultaneously creates opportunities for community-centered ownership while closing the City of Pittsburgh's affordable housing gap.”   

“We are honored to be an ally and partner on this journey with Big Tom and to support him in accessing the tools and resources needed to create transformative community change in the Hill District,” said Neighborhood Allies President, Presley Gillespie. "This project is the true epitome of equitable community development-encompassing the redevelopment of a physical place and creating opportunity for the people who call that place home. We're incredibly proud to that Mr. Boyd is not only poised to own a key corner parcel in his neighborhood, but also grow his community serving business over the coming years." 

To date the project has received over $1.94 million in funding from First National Bank (the largest subsidiary of F.N.B. Corporation), Lower Hill Group, Neighborhood Allies, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency and URA. The project has also received over 450 of intensive technical assistance from Neighborhood Allies through their Centralized Real Estate Accelerator. 

"Thanks to all the people who have been working hard - all the community groups, all the funders, Neighborhood Allies, URA and all the people who have been helping me through this process," said Mr. Boyd. "I just feel blessed and we're going to continue giving back to the neighborhood." 

Source: City of Pittsburgh

The Northside Community Development Fund today announced that it is now supporting all of Allegheny County under the new moniker of “Neighborhood Community Development Fund.”  

Located in Pittsburgh’s Northside, the Neighborhood Community Development Fund serves as a conduit between local communities and the resources they seek – growing and revitalizing neighborhoods through small business support, residential housing and commercial building projects. Previously, this work was concentrated primarily in the Northside neighborhood.

 Under its new name, the Neighborhood Community Development Fund will continue to support existing clients, while also aiding those in neighborhoods beyond the Northside and throughout Allegheny County to develop their communities. The organization conducts its work by connecting local business owners and community development organizations with loan opportunities, grant applications, educational resources and strategic counsel.

“We’ve been proud to work as a trusted neighbor for so many in the Northside community for more than 20 years,” said Mark Masterson, executive director, Neighborhood Community Development Fund. “And now, we’re taking that same approach to communities all across Allegheny County to promote economic opportunity and revitalization.”

 Since the onset of the pandemic, the Neighborhood Community Development Fund has offered loan payment deferrals and loan forgiveness to most of its loan customers. The Neighborhood Community Development Fund also worked with the Pennsylvania CDFI Network to distribute more than $250 million in grants to small businesses, 50% of which went to historically disadvantaged businesses.

Additionally, the Neighborhood Community Development Fund connected local small businesses with Small Business Administration (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program loans – helping more than 400 small businesses to receive these SBA loans.

For more information on the Neighborhood Community Development Fund and its services, please visit: NCD-Fund.org.

 The centers will provide technology access and digital literacy to community members of all ages.

Neighborhood Allies and Verizon officially announce three new Pittsburgh-based learning centers to come online in the next year. These will provide community members of all ages with digital skills and entrepreneurship training, STEM education, and workforce development opportunities through advanced technology and educational resources.

Neighborhood Allies is excited to collaborate with the YMCA and the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC)’s Homewood-Brushton Center locations, who will host a youth and adult space respectively. The location of a third site in a different part of Pittsburgh will be determined in the coming months. These are part of the Verizon Community Forward initiative, first announced earlier this month, which offers exploratory digital learning opportunities for STEM related career pathways with a focus on job skills.

The program will provide K-12 students with STEM Education, adults with digital literacy training, and both high school students and adults with workforce development and entrepreneurship learning opportunities. Programming will be provided by the Homewood Children's Village, YMCA, and CCAC, as well as other local providers. In anticipation of the Centers’ opening, registration is open for interim Fall programming at LevelUp412.org, which features courses ranging from coding and video game design to robotics, 3D printing, and a host of digital literacy skills.

"Neighborhood Allies' commitment to advancing equity and economic inclusion in Pittsburgh means ensuring that all residents have expanded opportunities to succeed," said Presley Gillespie, President of Neighborhood Allies. "In partnership with Verizon, we are striving to close the digital divide that exists along socioeconomic and racial lines by providing the access, knowledge, and training needed to enter into tech-based careers."

"Now more than ever, it's imperative that under-resourced communities have the skills and access to technology they need to be prepared for today's digital workforce,” said Alex Servello, Director, Corporate Social Responsibility. “Together with Neighborhood Allies, Verizon is deepening its investment in the local community by creating physical spaces which offer members of the community access to STEM education, workforce development, and digital literacy with the goal to help prepare youth up to adults for jobs of the future.”

STEM-inspired skill-based learning through initiatives such as Verizon Community Forward can drive economic empowerment and is central to Verizon’s responsible business plan for economic, environmental and social advancement, Citizen Verizon. Launched in 2020 to move the world forward for all, Citizen Verizon leverages technology, innovation and resources to address the world’s most pressing issues across digital inclusion, climate protection and human prosperity. As part of Citizen Verizon, Verizon plans to exceed $3 billion in its responsible business investment from 2020-2025 to continue helping vulnerable communities bridge the digital divide.

 June 22, 2021… A new arts funding initiative created by The Pittsburgh Foundation’s Center for Philanthropy will award 75 micro-grants of $1,000 to Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) artists to assist them in their work. Applications are open through July 23. Funding for the program is provided by The Pittsburgh Foundation’s Mac Miller Fund.

Grants will be practice-based, so that recipients have the freedom to use the awards on whatever they choose. The program is open to artists who live in the counties of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Mercer, Lawrence, Somerset, Venango, Washington and Westmoreland.

“This program is yet another wonderful example of how the fund is channeling Mac Miller’s spirit in the Pittsburgh region and the rest of the country,” Pittsburgh Foundation President and CEO Lisa Schroeder said in announcing the grants program. “As his fame skyrocketed, he shared his musical artistry generously – allowing people to internalize it however they would choose, and he reached out broadly.”

The BIPOC Micro-Grant Program does the same, Schroeder said, by giving artists maximum freedom in use of the grants and inviting applications from across southwestern Pennsylvania and its bordering counties. “While there is much more work to be done in supporting racial diversity in our region’s arts community, we are grateful to the family of Mac Miller and our Center for Philanthropy staff for collaborating to develop such a powerful program.”

A selection committee that will include BIPOC artists will be confirmed soon with member information posted on The Pittsburgh Foundation website. The brief application is available online and applicants will be informed of decisions by Sept. 1.

“The BIPOC Artist Micro-Grant program is a way for the Foundation to carry forward Mac Miller’s creative and artistic legacy and his family’s vision for helping artists, particularly younger artists, recognize their full potential,” said Kelly Uranker, vice president of the Foundation’s Center for Philanthropy.

The Mac Miller Fund was established at The Pittsburgh Foundation in 2018 by the family of the late Malcolm McCormick (Mac Miller) to honor the Pittsburgh native and nationally known rapper and producer. 

The Pittsburgh Foundation’s Center for Philanthropy is one of only a few centers in the country offering expertise to donors to help them determine how to meet philanthropic goals through grantmaking and nonprofit management, personalized education sessions and guidance on multi-generational giving.  

Source: The Pittsburgh Foundation

In her job, Pittsburgh native Simone, is dedicated to helping young people succeed in school as an integrated school specialist, making sure students who might not be making the grade have the necessary tools to excel academically. She is also a dedicated mom of a teen son, who keeps her busy but thankful. 

Reflecting on her life, Simone says that she is especially grateful for the two blood transfusions she received that literally saved her life. "I was Diagnosed with Sickle Cell Anemia (SC) Disease. Born with the disease, and diagnosed at 15 months old. I spent a lot of my childhood in and out of hospitals, in severe pain and depleted of energy due to low blood counts. Individuals with Sickle Cell often rely on transfusions to reduce anemia, increase blood flow, and decrease/eliminate excruciating pain. Blood transfusions can also help Sickle Cell patients reduce the risk of a stroke. The blood transfusions that I received helped alleviate crippling pain and prevent other complications that could have taken my life."

Knowing the critical need for blood donations in the African American community, Simone is hoping that her story will encourage other's to donate. "In the black community one in 500-600 black children are born with sickle cell anemia. As with most illnesses that affect blacks disproportionally, research for a cure is grossly under funded. Donating blood helps to ensure that we have as high of a quality of life as possible. It’s imperative that we do our part to save ourselves."

One way you can make a difference here in Pittsburgh, Simone, encourages you to participate in the WAMO VIRTUAL BLOOD DRIVE - Saturday, April 24, 2021 - Friday April 30, 2021.

 See information below for the event.    

The City of Pittsburgh’s Welcoming Pittsburgh has announced the release of their 2020 Annual Report today, highlighting their work and accomplishments from the past year. Welcoming Pittsburgh is an immigrant, refugee, new American, and asylee support and integration initiative launched by Mayor William Peduto in 2014. 

The annual report highlights new initiatives undertaken by Welcoming Pittsburgh and their partners. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Welcoming Pittsburgh introduced a regular, open call with the community to share information, resources, and meet the communities’ needs. Other new initiatives in the report include the implementation of a citywide language access plan, a COVID-19 cash assistance program for those who did not receive federal stimulus due to their immigration status, and their participation with the Urban Redevelopment Authority in the Welcoming Economies Pilot program.

“Though 2020 presented our world with challenges and oftentimes stretched our partners and resources beyond their capacity, we saw impressive resilience, adaptability, and helpfulness from our Welcoming Pittsburgh team and community," said Mayor William Peduto.  

The report also provides progress updates for the implementation of the Welcoming Pittsburgh Roadmap. The roadmap was launched in 2015 in partnership with 40 local leaders in immigrant, refugee, and international communities and over 3,000 community members to provide a community-defined vision and recommended action items to make Pittsburgh welcoming for all. The report includes how roadmap action items are being implemented throughout city departments such as the Department of Innovation and Performance, Department of City Planning, and Department of Public Safety. 

The report is available here.  

For Sustainable Pittsburgh’s statement on the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit this link. Plus, access our library of free webinars and accompanying resources here.

Stop the spread of misinformation: Allegheny County Health Department’s Rumor Control hub

• Businesses & Nonprofits
• Restaurants & Growers
• Individuals
• Communities

BUSINESSES & NONPROFITS

• REOPENING RESOURCES 
  • From Governor Tom Wolf: Process to Reopen Pennsylvania
  • BRINGING PA BACK, the PA Chamber of Business and Industry opened a new website to offer guidance to help PA employers re-open safely and to help enact policies to put the economy back on track.
  • Ready Pittsburgh, a toolkit for organizations that contains best practice protocols and guides for various industries.
  • Centers for Disease Control and Protection’s Reopening Guidance for Cleaning and Disinfecting Public Spaces, Workplaces, Businesses, Schools, and Homes
  • US Chamber’s Ready to Reopen: A Playbook for Your Small Business
  •  ChamberofCommerce.org,  Q&A guide on the top 6 questions businesses are asking: Coronavirus Small Business Issues and Solutions Guide
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  • GRANTS & FINANCIAL AID
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  • Are you a small business in agriculture? The U.S. Small Business Administration is now accepting Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications on a limited basis.
  • Facebook Small Business Grants Program announced it will be providing $100 million in cash grants and ad credits for up to 30,000 eligible small businesses in 30 countries. Applications have closed.
  • Hello Alice is offering $10,000 grants being distributed immediately to small business owners impacted by COVID-19, as part of our broader mission to ensure Business for All.
  • U.S. Chamber Foundation Launches Save Small Business Fund to Support the Small Business Community. Applications have closed.
  • Huntington Business Banking’s Resources and Support for COVID-19
  • COVID-19 Working Capital Access Program (CWCA): DCED is offering working capital for the purposes of assisting with operations, excluding fixed assets, and the production of machinery and equipment. There will be a limit of $100,000 for each loan and interest rates could vary from 0%-2%. Learn more
  • PA Industrial Development Authority (PIDA) has put together the Small Business First Fund to make $61,000,000 available for business assistance. Funds can be used for working capital loans of up to $100,000 given to small businesses who employ 100 or fewer people. Currently the interest rates are set at 3% but the PIDA board can adjust the interest rates as low as 0%.
    PIDA also provides low-interest loans and lines of credit for eligible businesses that create and retain full-time jobs for the development of industrial parks and/or multi-tenant facilities. To get additional information about what is offered in your county and to apply, click here go to and check the Certified Providers By County.
  • SBA Disaster Loan Assistance: The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of COVID-19. Learn More.
  • Hebrew Free Loan Association of Pittsburgh offers a Coronavirus Financial Bridge Loan Program to provide interest-free loans on a nonsectarian basis for up to $5,000 to residents of Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Westmoreland, Washington, and Armstrong counties who are facing financial challenges caused by COVID-19.
  • Honeycomb is now offering Loyalty Bonds that enable small businesses to raise cash quickly by selling a gift card “subscription” that will keep customers coming back for years to come. They’re also offering the Honeycomb Relief Loan program to small businesses affected by the COVID-19. These loans up to $50,000 will offer a 45-day payment free period and a six-month interest-only period.
  • Bridgeway Capital’s relief and resources for small businesses and nonprofits economically impacted by COVID-19
    Please reach out to Talpha Harris, Entrepreneurship Hub Manager tharris@bridgewaycapital.org for assistance in applying for the federal stimulus.
    For food based business looking to transition into a retail model, contact Blair Schoenborn, Associate Director of Strategy BSchoenborn@BridgewayCapital.org for financing options. Other businesses that may qualify include any companies that are involved in COVID-19 mitigation (ex. Cleaning companies). An archive of marketing and advertising webinars are available here.
• GENERAL RESOURCE
  • SCORE and Constant Contact are hosting a new Real-Time Mentoring platform to connect small business owners with SCORE mentors LIVE Tuesdays and Thursdays 2-5 PM ET.
  • PA Manufacturing Call to Action Portal
  • 10 Pandemic-Inspired Business Trends That Are Here to Stay
  • 9 Creative Ways Small Businesses Are Adapting to Coronavirus
  • Ongoing list of Small Business/Restaurant resources, compiled by Sustainable Pittsburgh
  • Prepared by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Coronavirus Emergency Loans: Small Business Guide and Checklist
  • Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Critical Medical Supplies Procurement Portal: A new web portal has been created to expedite the procurement of critical medical supplies for Pennsylvania’s health care system. This portal is for manufacturers, distributors and other suppliers to inform us of supplies available for purchase and will allow us to more quickly and efficiently procure these supplies for hospitals and medical facilities across PA. Learn more.
  • OSHA COVID-19 Safe Working Guidelines: Get informed on OSHA standards and directives and other related information that may apply to worker exposure COVID-19 and record-keeping. Learn more.
  • Updated List of Essential Businesses: View the list of businesses that may continue physical operations, in relation to the Governor’s Executive Order mandating closures for COVID-19 mitigation. Learn more.
  • Urban Redevelopment Authority has compiled a list of resources for businesses and individuals.
  • U.S. Small Business Administration Guide to plan and respond to COVID-19.
  • The PA Department of Community and Economic Development has a list of contacts and resources that are available to assist affected businesses.
  • Chatham University Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship is offering services, including counseling sessions and technical assistance, by telephone.
  • Google is offering guidance for small businesses, including how to communicate with your customers and employees, how to effectively work from home, and how to modify advertising, among other topics.
  • Rep. Sara Innamorato has put together a Google Doc with lots of great resources for business and individuals which can be found: HERE.
  • COVID-19 Small Business Preparedness Checklist, and COVID-19 Resources for impacted businesses prepared by the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence.
  • Allegheny Conference has created a website with responses, resources, and more HERE.

RESTAURANTS & GROWERS

• REOPENING RESOURCES
  • National Restaurant Association’s Reopening Guidance
  • US Food Restaurant Reopening Blueprint
• WEBINARS
  • ServSafe is offering free online food safety training
  • The CARES Act and Your Restaurant — view US FOODS’ webinar
  • The James Beard Foundation is offering a series of webinars to help navigate the challenges of COVID-19
• GENERAL RESOURCE 
  • Food Safety Take-out Tips for Restaurants during COVID-19 
  • Ongoing list of Small Business/Restaurant resources, compiled by Sustainable Pittsburgh
  • The James Beard Foundation has compiled a list of resources and support for restaurant owners and workers.
  • Urban Redevelopment Authority has compiled a list of resources for businesses and individuals.
• FINANCIAL AID & GRANTS
  • Hospitality Assistance Response of PA (HARP) is a 501(c)(3) that provides immediate emergency funding to hospitality workers. HARP fund has reached its round 1 capacity, but will consider reopening the grant form if funds allow for it.
  • Samuel Adams and the Greg Hill Foundation announced they are bringing the Restaurant Strong Fund to 20 total states (PA included) to aid the restaurant workers impacted by the COVID-19 closures.
  • Bartender Emergency Assistance Program was created by the USBG National Charity Foundation to assist bartenders or family members impacted by catastrophic events.
  • The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) authorizes up to $349 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses to pay their employees during the COVID-19 crisis.
• FOOD DISTRIBUTION
  • 412 Food Rescue has launched Community Takeout – a program to provide at least 15,000 healthy meals to those in need throughout our community.
  • Free Food Distribution Sites: https://tinyurl.com/pghfoodmap
  • Information for farmers and agriculture related businesses related to COVID-19 practices can be found: HERE.
• TAKEOUT/DELIVERY RESOURCES
  • Pittsburgh breweries offering cans, crowlers, and growlers to-go during coronavirus restrictions.
  • Postmates offers information for using its platform to sell takeout, which may increase your customer reach and boost your digital presence.
  • The Pittsburgh City Paper put together a list of restaurants and food businesses offering carry out and delivery, find that: HERE.
• SERVICE WORKER  RESOURCES
  • To give voice to the current conditions, losses and needs of food, beverage and entertainment businesses, the Office of Nighttime Economy asks that you complete this survey.
  • Local service workers who are laid off during this time can enter their information in the Pittsburgh Virtual Tip Jar so that customers and the Pittsburgh community members can continue to support them. Find more: HERE.

INDIVIDUALS

• GENERAL RESOURCES
  • Pittsburgh Mutual Aid: Helping Pittsburgh Help Each Other Through The COVID Crisis
  • Operation Face Mask Pittsburgh is a collective of volunteers, including professional stitchers, working to fill Pittsburgh’s need for safe, washable, reusable masks.
  • Poise Foundation is offering a Critical Community Needs Fund to support Black Led Organizations responding to critical needs in the Black community resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Urban Redevelopment Authority has compiled a list of resources for businesses and individuals.
  • University of Pittsburgh Library Systems has created a central resource page for everyone in the Pittsburgh community currently feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • How to help Pittsburghers during the coronavirus pandemic (assembled by the The Incline)
  • Rep. Sara Innamorato has put together a google doc with lots of great resources for business and individuals which can be found: HERE.
  • Resources for Families affected by COVID-19 Outbreak
  • Pittsburgh Greater Arts Council has a List of Resources for Artists
• EMPLOYMENT
  • PA Career Link has shared a list of job openings across PA
  • Vibrant Pittsburgh has a list of regional job postings
• FOOD
  • Free Food Distribution Sites: https://tinyurl.com/pghfoodmap
  • If you live in Lawrenceville/Bloomfield/Garfield the local community organizations are putting together a buddy system program to help elderly neighbors get supplies. Sign up: HERE.
• HEALTH
  • Pittsburgh Urban Magnet Project (PUMP) has compiled a list of ways to stay active and connected during COVID-19.
• HOUSING
  • The United Way operates a free helpline called 2-1-1 for housing and other emergencies.
  • The PA Supreme Court halts all eviction proceedings for non-payment of rent or mortgages. **It is important to note however, that if a tenant goes into default during this time, the landlord will likely be able to evict as soon as the halt is over. Trellis Legal highly recommends that tenants talk to their landlords to work on a reduced payment or waiver of payment for a short period of time rather than going into default and risking later eviction.**
  • URA Housing Resources

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COMMUNITIES

• Technical Assistance:
  Sustainable Pittsburgh and the Congress of Neighboring Communities (CONNECT) are offering direct technical assistance to local governments to implement online strategies for engaging the public and holding public meetings. If your elected officials or municipal staff are having difficulties implementing any of these strategies, please use this form to request assistance. Tech-savvy Sustainable Pittsburgh and CONNECT volunteers and staff are on call to help you however we can. If you are tech-savvy and would like to volunteer your time to assist with such requests, complete this form to sign up.
• COVID 19 Case Tracking by Geographic Region
  • The Pennsylvania Department of Health has a resource page for the Commonwealth including daily briefings, the current number of cases, and a map indicating the number of cases in each county.
  • The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has a page and map tracking the reported cases in each state.
  • The Atlantic Magazine has a publicly accessible Google spreadsheet tracking COVID-19 testing in each state in the US. This spreadsheet is updated numerous times a day and includes total numbers of tests, pending, positives, negatives, deaths, and time of last update.
  • Worldometer is tracking international statistics related to the Pandemic on their COVID-19 Coronavirus Outbreak page. Worldometer is an international statistics resource owned by Dadax and was voted one of the best free reference websites by the American Library Association.
• Health Information
  • The United States’ Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) COVID-19 Website contains up to date information on a wide variety related topics, including prevention techniques, symptoms, what to do if you are sick, how to prepare your family, and numerous others.
  • The National Institutes of Health has a COVID-19 page with a myriad of resources and a way to subscribe to regular updates about the virus.
  • The Pennsylvania Department of Health’s COVID-19 page also has numerous valuable resources and updates about the situation in Pennsylvania.
• Municipal Officials and Public Employers in Pennsylvania
  • The Pennsylvania Municipal League’s (PML) News and Announcements page has numerous regularly updated resources, including a downloadable presentation for public employers created by Campbell Durrant, P.C.
  • Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors has an information page including a webinar created by attorney’s providing guidance for municipal officials.
  • For more information about Right to Know Requests during the outbreak Open Records PA has created this page.
  • For more general information about the Sunshine Act during the pandemic please reference this page.
  • For a list of public information and community engagement tools (including a spreadsheet with more than 100 tools and applications) for municipalities and community leaders, including hosting virtual public meeting and getting community feedback see this page.  The list was created by Sustainable Jersey and adapted for use in Pennsylvania by Sustainable Pittsburgh.
• Other Resources for Local Governments
  • Steel River COGs offers a list of COVID-19 Resources for Municipalities 
  • US coronavirus relief funds: A guide for state and local governments
  • ICMA has a COVID-19  resource page for general crisis management covering issues like  chain of command, crisis communications, potential gaps, and the workforce.
  • ICMA has a useful Discussion Guide for Local Government Managers navigating the continuously evolving situation on the ground.
  • Governing has created a list of top ten tips for those now required to work from home.
  • The National League of Cities has created a COVID-19 Resource Guide for municipalities. 
  • FEMA Eligible Emergency Protective Measures Fact Sheet.

Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore, get wisdom. 

And in all your getting, get understanding.

Proverbs 4:7

Typically, generational wealth refers to material things of significance passed on from one generation to the next.  This type of generational wealth provides succeeding family members with a foundation that enables them to avoid “starting from scratch” or having to “lift themselves up by their bootstraps.”  Instead, these generational wealth recipients are provided a “head start” that enables them to not only cope with acquiring basic necessities such as food, shelter and health care but also to actualize themselves as human beings.  

Imagine the privileged position you would be in if, for example, your parents made it possible for you to graduate from college not only free of debt but they also gave you a new car as a graduation gift.  Consider the economic advantage you would have if you also enjoyed the number one American wealth generation act, i.e., you inherited a mortgage-free multi-bedroom home.

Unfortunately, the well-known fact is that the foregoing type of generational wealth is one of the key disparities many Blacks experience as a result of systemic racism.  As noted on September 28, 2020 by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System,  “…the typical White family has eight times the wealth of the typical Black family and five times the wealth of the typical Hispanic family…  In the 2019 survey, White families have the highest level of both median and mean family wealth: $188,200 and $983,400, respectively…  Black families' median and mean wealth is less than 15 percent that of White families, at $24,100 and $142,500, respectively…”   

To be sure, living in a capitalistic society, Blacks must not only understand but also practice the rudiments of the American/international financial system.  At the same time, we must not forget that, as the “passport for the 21st century,” education and the wisdom related to its use are critically important types of generational wealth.   Otherwise, the material aspects of generational wealth become a matter of “easy come, easy go.”  For an example of the latter, we need look no further than a current national leader who received hundreds of millions from his father and, today, he has debt in the hundreds of millions!  Lest Blacks are appropriately educated, they might not only lose ground in terms of material wealth, but also their pursuit of equity and social justice.  

We must heed the wisdom articulated by Carter G. Woodson when he wrote, “If you can control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his action. When you determine what a man shall think you do not have to concern yourself about what he will do. If you make a man feel that he is inferior, you do not have to compel him to accept an inferior status, for he will seek it himself. If you make a man think that he is justly an outcast, you do not have to order him to the back door. He will go without being told; and if there is no back door, his very nature will demand one.”

A Black person, for example, could sit on the Supreme Court for years, but if she/he is miseducated, then that person might attack laws designed to assist Blacks as well as members of other oppressed groups.  It will be they who will lead the attack on laws that aid the LGBTQ community.  

Lacking wisdom and, at the same time, properly miseducated a Black elected attorney  general might purposefully fail to have a grand jury indict White police officers who murdered an innocent Black woman and, instead, obtain an indictment for one White police officer who wantonly shot bullets into the apartment of a White person.

Profoundly miseducated and, without generational wisdom, such a Black person might be the first to come to the rescue and wipe “Karen’s tears” after she was nationally criticized –even if Karen had called the police to arrest the Black person because she “looked suspicious” as she was getting into her recently purchased 2020 car.  Another such miseducated Black might be the one to hug “Karen” after she was found guilty of murdering their uncle and, still  another, might straighten the wrinkle in “Karen’s” dress when she rises to be sentenced in court.  

Lacking generational wisdom, the proximity to power along with a big title and big salary (for a Black person) could cause miseducated folks to become classic “house Negroes.” To appreciate just how far those without wisdom might go and squander Black equity and social justice generational wealth, please read the September 28, 2020 New Pittsburgh Courier Digital Daily article “Ten of the most noteworthy House Negroes in America.” Therein, you will note the detrimental deeds of Clarence Thomas, Daniel Cameron, Jason Whitlock, Candace Owens, Terry Crews, Kanye West, Charles Barkley, Stacy Dash, Diamond & Silk, and Herman Cain.

If we are to end the cycle of “being sick and tired of being sick and tired” and, instead, make consistent, significant, incremental progress when it comes to Blacks acquiring freedom, justice and equality, then we must not squander the generational wisdom of those who came before us.  We must not only “say their names” but also acquire the wisdom of ancestors such as James Baldwin, Daisy Bates, Mary McLeod Bethune, Gwendolyn Brooks, Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. DuBois, Toni Morrison, Myrlie Evans-Williams, Fannie Lou Hammer, John Lewis, Audre Lorde, Martin Luther King, Jr., Pauli Murray, Rosa Parks, Bayard Rustin, Carter G. Woodson, and Malcolm X.  

Regarding a bit of generational wisdom from Audre Lorde, always remember that “… survival is not an academic skill. It is learning how to stand alone, unpopular and sometimes reviled, and how to make common cause with those others identified as outside the structures in order to define and seek a world in which we can all flourish. It is learning how to take our differences and make them strengths. For the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house. They may allow us temporarily to beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change. And this fact is only threatening to those women who still define the master’s house as their only source of support.”

Lest the foregoing type of generational wisdom is internalized, years from now after yet another urban insurrection stimulated by racist abuse, Black folks will be babbling, “We had a Senior Vice President for…, and an Executive Associate for…, and a Special Counselor for…, and it seemed we’d make so much progress.  But here we are again, having made so little progress over so much time.”  Truly, “my people are destroyed” not only for lack of material wealth, but also lack of knowledge, understanding and wisdom!  

Jack L. Daniel

Co-Founder, Freed Panther Society

Contributor, Pittsburgh Urban Media

Author, Negotiating a Historically White University While Black

October 13, 2020