In This Issue:

*Community Investment Grant Recipients*

*Empty Chairs Violence Victims Remembrance - December 15*
November 22, 2022
STOP the Violence
News & Updates
The City of Pittsburgh STOP the Violence Office exists to change the community narrative about violence and stop the spread of the disease of violence in the City. While we are concerned as well with the surrounding areas and will share solutions and events in those areas, we only have jurisdiction in the City. We would be pleased to share our knowledge and strategies with any jurisdiction outside of the City.

Table of Contents

  • Solutions: 2022 Stop The Violence Community Investment Grant Recipients
  • Something You Can Do: Kairos Prison Ministry: Can You Help?
  • Solutions: More Community Resources: Don't Hesitate To Call!
  • New Research: Pittsburgh's Violence Prevention History: How we got here & Lessons for the future
  • New Research: History of American Gun Ownership
  • Solutions: REACH for GVI Support & Outreach
  • Solutions Archive: Cure Violence-Part 1
  • Solutions Archive: Mayor Ed Gainey's Pittsburgh Plan For Peace
  • Solutions: Let Us Know Using StopTheViolence@PittsburghPA.Gov
  • Something You Can Do: Pray for Peace and Against Violence
  • Training: Group Violence Intervention; Gun Violence and Public Health Webinar Series; Conflict Resolution Training and More
  • Facts and Stats: From October 2022
  • Facts & Stats Archive: Pittsburgh Police 2021 Annual Statistical Report
  • Tips for You, Poll Responses & Previous Newsletters
  • Coming Events: Empty Chairs Event to Remember Gun Violence Victims, December 15
  • More Community Resources
  • Domestic Violence Resource Guide
  • Preparing Your Home and Business for a Flood

Please complete the 9 polls in this Newsletter
(#9 is at the very end of the Newsletter)

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STOP The Violence Newsletter
Congratulations are due to the organizations doing high quality work in Pittsburgh's communities who are recipients of the 2022 Stop The Violence Community Investment Grants. A total of almost $1 million has been awarded.
These recipients were selected from over 100 applicants, who are serving neighborhoods throughout the City and requested over $8.5 million. POISE Foundation is the City's administrative partner in providing these grants.
David A. Jones
Assistant Director for Community Affairs, City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety
David Jones, Assistant Public Safety Director said "these grants are valuable for the City of Pittsburgh because this is the first time in our governmental history that the Mayor’s office and City Council have provided this opportunity to include our community partners to help stop violence. 

"At the end of the day, I hope that we help them to build capacity, to help them to be better partners, to increase collaboration, to help our youth become great citizens, to provide assistance to anyone at risk who needs help and to reduce violence in our City."

According to Jay Gilmer, the City's STOP the Violence Coordinator, "Pittsburgh is blessed to have so many dedicated people and outstanding organizations that are serving our people. There are services to meet almost every need. We want everyone to have the opportunity to succeed. If you need help, these organizations are there to help. "
Jay Gilmer
Pittsburgh STOP the Violence Coordinator
2022 Grantees

  • 1 Hood Media Academy - $25,000
  • 1 Nation Mentoring - $25,000
  • 5A Elite Youth Empowerment - $16,775
  • 25 Carrick Avenue Project - $30,000
  • A’s Vision - $10,000
  • Aaron Donald 99 Solutions Foundation - $15,000
  • Abiding Missions - $8,000
  • Basketball Dreamz - $15,000
  • Bible Center Church/The Maker's Clubhouse - $45,000
  • Brothers & Sisters Emerging - $60,000
  • Center of Life - $15,000
  • Community Empowerment Association - $40,000
  • East End Cooperative Ministry - $15,000
  • Homewood Children's Village - $55,000
  • Infinite Lifestyle Solutions - $15,000
  • Iota Phi Foundation - $15,000
  • Melanin Mommies - $10,000
  • Northside Partnership Project - $15,000
  • Ozanam, Inc. - $25,000
  • POORLAW - $15,000
  • Project Destiny - $35,000
  • PROMISE - $10,000
  • Save A Life Today - $40,000
  • Shadow Student Athletes - $20,000
  • South Pittsburgh Coalition for Peace - $30,000
  • The Brashear Association - $25,000
  • The Kingsley Association - $15,000
  • Trade Institute of Pittsburgh - $65,000
  • Voices Against Violence - $10,000
  • Western PA Youth Athletic Association - $105,250
To benefit these youth sports teams:
Hill District Rebels
Lawrenceville Seminoles
Southside Bears
Hazelwood Cobras
Homewood Bulldawgs
Lincoln Rams
Westside Mustangs
  • Westinghouse Youth Wrestling - $15,000
  • YMCA-Homewood - $45,000
  • Youth Enrichment Services - $15,000
  • YouthPlaces - $60,000
  • Za'kiyah House - $15,000
The grants are a component of the Pittsburgh Plan For Peace that will compliment the existing work being done by the City's Group Violence Intervention Support and Outreach efforts, including the REACH team.

These violence prevention efforts are made possible by the City's STOP the Violence Trust Fund. The Trust Fund was created in 2020 partially in response to protests after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Poll #1: Have you heard of any of these grant recipients?
Yes
No
Poll #2: Are you unfamiliar with any of these grant recipients?
Yes
No
Poll #3: Are any of these grant recipients active in your community?
Yes
No
Something You Can Do:


Can You Help?

For most individuals, prison is constant trauma. Inmates build mental walls to survive. Visits and learning can reduce the trauma, contribute to successful reentry at the end of a prison sentence, and reduce recidivism.

If you are interested in assisting inmates to reduce trauma and prepare for a better life, consider volunteering for a Christian prison ministry called Kairos.

Kairos is a weekend experience inside selected state prisons for inmates that volunteer for this ecumenical opportunity. Weekends are facilitated by a team of outside volunteers from churches of many denominations.

For Daryl Taylor of Mt. Ararat Baptist Church, a Kairos volunteer, "seeing God's love tear down the walls one has to build for life inside the prison is truly remarkable." 

The next Kairos weekend is scheduled for March 2023 at SCI-Fayette, a men's prison in Brownsville, PA. Team formation has already begun and meetings start in January 2023. Call now if you might be interested.

For further information, see the Kairos PA website HERE or contact team leader Daryl Taylor at 724-640-8474.
Poll #4: Does Kairos sound like something useful for inmates?
Yes
No
Solutions:
More Community Resources:
Don't Hesitate To Call!

There Are PLENTY of Outstanding Services Available for YOU in the City of Pittsburgh
A key part of the City’s violence prevention strategy is increasing the awareness of residents of those services that can help people form positive identities. All research indicates that the most important predictor of successful personal choices is a positive purpose. When someone is on their way to something that is attainable and surrounded by people pursuing positive goals, then they are less likely to become involved with negative behaviors.

The STOP the Violence Newsletter is committed to making residents aware of services that can assist community members of all ages in forming those positive identities.
Services listed in previous Newsletters are now at the bottom of this Newsletter.

These listings do not contain ALL available services -- there are dozens of services in each police zone. Additional services will be added each month. Services may change based on neighborhood needs.

These listings are not advertisements or endorsements. They are to make you aware of opportunities for you and the people you know and care about.
Citywide:
Youth Mentoring


Founded by NFL star Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams, the AD 99 Solutions Foundation provides mentoring, academic support, and lifeskills training for selected high school athletes; a summer sports skills camp; and periodic clinics to youth sports coaches.

For further information, see their website HERE, or contact Akita Donald, Executive Director or Rita Gillcrease, Program Coordinator.
City-wide:
Reentry

412-621-0622

Founded by Debra Germany after the murder of her son, Divine Intervention Ministries provides employment services and wraparound supportive services necessary for successful re-entry. the IMPACT Program, an 8-week faith-based program that provides a forum for intensive self-reflection and redirection, practical resources, after care/reentry services and mentoring support to the individuals incarcerated at Renewal, Inc.

For further information, see their website HERE or send an email to Debra Germany, Executive Director HERE.
City-wide:
Youth Mentoring
 
412-441-5405
 
MACAC Mentoring provides one to one and group mentoring for youth age 11-18 years old (grades 6-12) and enrichment activities including career readiness; life skills and spiritual development activities, field trips, academic enrichment and fun. All activities are based at the Mt. Ararat Community Activity Center, 745 North Negley Avenue Pgh, PA 15206.
Mentoring for 6th-8th grade is offered Thursday evening from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm (dinner served).
 
Mentoring for grades 9-12 is offered Monday-Friday 2:30 pm to 6:00 pm (a monthly stipend for attendance may be available).
 
They are also recruiting adult mentors to join their team. Please contact Program Director Jeffrey Nash if you're interested.  
 
For further information, click HERE for their website.
Zone 3:
Youth Development and Mentoring

412-708-4008

Shadow Student Athletes provides culturally responsive mentoring for student athletes using character coaches at public schools. These character coaches act as conflict specialists to support students, families and school staff by assisting in a variety of ways.

The Executive Director is Von Madden.

For further information, see their website HERE or send an email HERE.
Zones 3 & 6:
Violence Intervention and Prevention

412-481-2777

South Pittsburgh Coalition for Peace is home of the South Pittsburgh Peacemakers, a street outreach team which is available to prevent violence and intervene in situations which could lead to violence. They also offer educational workshops on violence prevention and community responses to violence.

For further information, please contact Reverend Eileen Smith, Executive Director or see their Facebook page.
City-wide:
Youth Development

412-434-0851

Youthplaces offers out-of-school time activities for teens in safe places to learn, grow, play and succeed. It currently has locations on the Northside, Downtown, East Liberty, McKeesport and McKees Rocks.

For further information, see their website HERE.
If you are aware of a service that should be mentioned in a future STOP the Violence Newsletter, please send the necessary information HERE.

If your organization wants to be listed or update its information, please send the necessary information HERE.
Poll #5: Are community resources important for the City to publicize?
Yes
No
Research:

Pittsburgh's Violence Prevention History:

How we got here & Lessons for the future
After reviewing Pittsburgh’s history of violence prevention efforts, Rev. John Welch and Rev. Drew Smith concluded “local cross-sector anti-gun violence collaborations … of the scale evidenced within Pittsburgh, deserve significant expansion and much wider replication.” This history is contained in an October 2022 article published in Society magazine entitled Seeking the Peace: Anti-Gun Violence Cadres, Concepts, and Connections in Pittsburgh.
Reverend John Welch
Senior Pastor at Sixth Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church
Rev. Welch also interviewed many of the individuals who have been central to Pittsburgh’s violence prevention efforts, including Richard Garland, Taili Thompson, Khalid Raheem, Jasiri X, Rev. Cornell Jones, City Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle, Rev. Glenn Grayson, and Professor David Harris.
“In Pittsburgh, apart from a recent surge in youth gun violence there has been an overall decline in its murder rate during the last decade.” In 2015, Pittsburgh had the 21st highest murder rate in the USA … by 2022, its murder rate had declined to number 58 among American cities with greater than 100,000 residents.”

Rev. Welch said that he and Smith were “motivated by the attacks and mass shootings on houses of worship, particular Mother Emmanuel in Charleston, SC and the Tree of Life in Pittsburgh” and they “wanted to examine the efficacy of a religious response, if any, using Pittsburgh as the primary context.”
Reverend Drew Smith
Professor at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Read the entire article HERE.
Poll #6: Are you interested in research on crime prevention?
Yes
No
Research:

History Of American Gun Ownership
For a fascinating look at historical trends in American gun ownership, see a recent article from the National Academy of Sciences by Nicholas Buttrick and Jessia Mazen entitled Historical Prevalence of Slavery Predicts Contemporary American Gun Ownership.

The article traces the American view of firearms as a means of keeping themselves safe to the Reconstruction era.

For a summary of the article in Governing magazine, click HERE.

The entire article can be found HERE.
Solutions:
for
Support & Outreach To Prevent Violence

Call 1-833-44REACH
Support and Street Outreach for Pittsburgh's GVI violence prevention strategy is coordinated by Reverend Cornell Jones and is known as REACH. REACH is funded by the City of Pittsburgh through a contract with the Hill District's Center That Cares. REACH General Manager is The Reverend Glenn Grayson. Program Manager is Antoine Bailey and Supervisors are Vaughn Rivers (Zones 1 and 2), Terri Minor Spencer (Zones 3 and 6) and Ayo Young (Zones 4 and 5).

REACH workers are community leaders who interact with individuals of any age who have been impacted by violence or are at risk due to their circumstances or acquaintances. They are selected based on their individual experience, relationships and historical knowledge and are now embedded in communities across the City of Pittsburgh.


Left: REACH Program Manager Antoine Bailey with Pittsburgh Outreach Coordinator Reverend Cornell Jones at panel of NOBLE (National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives) on November 4, 2022
REACH workers partner with the Pittsburgh Police in each zone to identify threats, and attempt to prevent violence. One police officer reported:

"REACH outreach workers Kevin, Martel, Von and Larry have come to the after school let out at the Carrick shopping center for months and formed positive relationships with a lot of the students which prevents a lot of altercations and fighting."

Another recent success:

  • Disbursing throughout downtown Pittsburgh on Light Up Night to prevent fights and violence or keep such fights from escalating.
If you become aware of a situation which could benefit from the presence of REACH workers OR if you know an individual who needs support, mentoring or resources to avoid trouble, please contact REACH at 1-833-44REACH.
For a September 22, 2022 WPXI story on REACH, click below.
Poll #7: Do you know of a situation that could benefit from the REACH team?
Yes
No
Solutions Archive:
Cure Violence-Part 1

Another Nationally Known Evidence Based Violence Prevention Strategy

Cure Violence is a violence interruption strategy working to interrupt violence at the source and treats violence as a disease that spreads from person to person. Three core components of this strategy include interrupting the transmission of violence, reducing the risk of violence acts by those at the highest risk and changing community norms. The model relies on the efforts of community outreach workers who have deep and sustained relationships in the neighborhoods where they operate, enabling them to effectively engage with youth and community.
The Cure Violence strategy has been adopted by Allegheny County's Health Department through their Office of Violence Prevention. Implementation began in Wilkinsburg and is bring expanded to several additional locations in the County.

Cure Violence was researched and launched by Dr. Gary Slutkin. More from Dr. Slutkin is below:
Solutions Archive:

Mayor Ed Gainey's
Pittsburgh Plan For Peace

"It's going to take all of us"
On June 3, 2022, Mayor Gainey announced his Pittsburgh Plan For Peace.  When he announced the Plan, Mayor Gainey stated that "public safety is our number one priority".
You can find the entire Pittsburgh Plan For Peace HERE.
Solutions:
 
Let Us Know Using
 
Are you aware of a NON-EMERGENCY situation that has the potential to turn violent but doesn’t yet need police attention? This could include a dispute, feud, insult, social media post, party, sporting event, fight being planned or even a rumor. It could involve school students or adults of any age, men or women. 

If you are, please contact the City of Pittsburgh's STOP the Violence Office using email address: StopTheViolence@PittsburghPA.Gov. 
"I think our expert outreach team has the ability to intervene in almost any situation if we have some notice. I encourage school personnel, sports team coaches, pastors, neighbors, and concerned community members to look out for the people they care about and report anything or anyone that could turn violent" said Jay Gilmer, the Department of Public Safety's STOP the Violence Coordinator. 


"Our goal is to resolve situations before violence occurs and police are necessary".

If you know someone who needs a bit of help to avoid getting involved in activities that could lead to violence and someone becoming a statistic, please let us know. Help might include advice, family assistance, recovery, support from peers, or even a place to go. 
According to Reverend Cornell Jones, Director of Outreach for the City of Pittsburgh, "this information sharing email address is to enable us to know how to best use our outreach resources to prevent or interrupt violence. If we know about a situation or event with enough notice, our presence might be able to prevent something without anyone getting hurt or arrested. We want to see situations resolved before they escalate and result in someone getting hurt or going to jail."
Reverend Cornell Jones
Director of Outreach
When you send the email, please leave a few details and the neighborhood you are writing from. You will receive an initial response within 2 business days. 

The City of Pittsburgh STOP the Violence Office has access to many resources and partner organizations who would be pleased to help you or your friend. The STOP the Violence Office is part of the City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety but is not the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police. 
THIS EMAIL ADDRESS IS NOT AN EMERGENCY HOTLINE
AND IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR CALLIING 911 OR 311    

IF VIOLENCE IS READY TO BREAK OUT, CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY!
Poll #8: Have you ever had a safety concern about an event and didn't know where to turn?
Yes
No


Something You Can Do:
Pray For Peace and Against Violence
Anyone can pray for peace and against violence either alone or as part of the STOP the Violence Prayer Team. If prayer is important to you, please pray whenever and wherever possible against violence.
According to Pastor Paul Roberts of Eastminster Presbyterian Church in East Liberty, regular praying "keeps peace in the mind and heart of out community. It causes us to discuss and ask questions like what should we be doing."
If you, your pastor or spiritual leader or your place of worship or church sign up for the non-denominational prayer team, you will receive periodic prayer request emails and notices about faith-based initiatives to prevent violence and increase peace in our community. You can sign up HERE.
Training:
Group Violence Intervention +
Pittsburgh's Group Violence Intervention initiative (GVI) is a proven strategy to reduce shootings and homicides in urban neighborhoods by using a multi-aspect strategy:

  • informed street outreach and social services to prevent violence,
  • involved community members reinforcing community norms rejecting violence; and
  • law enforcement in partnership with the community when other means are not effective.

For additional information on GVI, including its history and rationale, see this hour-long webinar from Mayors Against Illegal Guns entitled Re-imagining Public Safety: Group Violence Intervention and Intimate Partner Intervention: Webinar. The password is: MAIGUn1versity!

Pittsburgh’s Group Violence Intervention (GVI) violence prevention strategy, including the complete logic model, was featured in the October 2021 STOP the Violence Newsletter which can be accessed HERE.

Support and outreach for GVI are coordinated by Rev. Cornell Jones, Director of Outreach who can be contacted at cornell.jones@pittsburghpa.gov.

Street Outreach for the City of Pittsburgh is contracted to The Center that Cares' Reach team. Their General Manager is The Reverend Glenn Grayson, Program Manager is Antoine Bailey and Supervisors are Vaughn Rivers (Zones 1 and 2), Terri Minor Spencer (Zones 3 and 6) and Ayo Young (Zones 4 and 5). They can be reached at 1-833-44REACH.
GVI Support & Outreach:

Pittsburgh’s Public Health Approach to Violence Prevention-Part 1 was featured in the August 2021 STOP the Violence Newsletter which can be accessed HERE. Part 2, including GVI and its complete logic model, was featured in the October 2021 Newsletter and can be accessed HERE.

How does support and outreach work?
 
Recent research on GVI’s support and outreach component was released this month by the National Network for Safe Communities (NNSC). The report explains that in GVI, traditional “social services'' are replaced with a structure “tailored to members of the special core street population, their situation, and their needs.” This is done because “many GVI clients are not ready for traditional social services like remedial education and employment training … these clients instead receive ‘support and outreach.’ Support is defined as ‘providing centralized and accessible services for people at high risk of violence.’” Outreach is defined as ‘’making deliberate, persistent, and consistent connections to people involved in violence to foster new relationships and build community.”


Support and Outreach Best Practices
NNSC’s research from around the country has shown that effective outreach and support includes these best practices:

  • The Goal: Staying alive and out of prison.
  • Actually reach out.
  • Protect from risk.
  • Address trauma. 
  • Provide critical resources. 
  •  Support the whole family. 
  • Connect to traditional services. 

For the entire report on Support and Outreach, click HERE.

How you can help
Community efforts to compliment the GVI strategy are encouraged. Rev. Jones states: “Other community members, businesses and ministries can help too, even if they don’t have the skills to be an outreach worker, they can help us by sharing resources that can be directed towards the vulnerable population. We need everything that community members need in order to be successful from food to employment to fatherhood and motherhood support.” To get involved, please send an email to the STOP the Violence Office by clicking HERE.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Atlanta City Council President Felicia Moore and Seattle Council President Lorena Gonzalez headed the list of speakers in a ten hour webinar on August 18 and 19, 2021 organized by the Center on Media, Crime and Justice at John Jay College to help journalists and the public gain greater understanding on efforts to address the rising levels of gun violence in at-risk communities.
The series focused on prevention and intervention strategies. Leaders of community intervention strategies and programs in Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia and Sacramento discussed what is and isn’t working in their cities. Pittsburgh’s efforts compare quite favorably with these efforts. 

The webinar consists of seven sessions, each lasting from 30 to 90 minutes. A table of contents is available so you can watch a particular session. Please take a look HERE.
Conflict Resolution Training

If you would like more information on violence prevention and some suggestions on ways to be involved with anti-violence activities, please click on and watch the two-hour training video to the right. This training was conducted in January 2021.

Our outreach teams include violence interrupters, but there are lots of other roles to play. After viewing the training video, please let us know your thoughts and how you'd like to be involved!
Webinar: Mind Always Matters

For more on grief support and mental health, see: Mind Always Matters, a POISE Foundation Community Conversation recorded November 18, 2021 with Jessica Gurley, LCSW and Julius Boatwright, LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker).  This 75 minute discussion can be found HERE.
Webinar: How to Heal After a Homicide

For an insightful discussion on healing from trauma and access to resources necessary to heal after a loss, experts Dr. Toya Jones (Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work) and Valerie Dixon (Director of Family and Community Support for the Center for Victims) see the recorded video: How to Heal After a Homicide. This 37 minute video was recorded in January 2022.

Just click below to see the video:

Facts & Stats:

From October 2022

Below are selected crime statistics from the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police. These statistics are from the period January 1 to October 31, 2022. These only cover the City, not any areas of Allegheny County which are outside of the City. A few notes can be found after the charts.
City of Pittsburgh Police Zones:
IMPORTANT NOTE:

The Non-fatal shooting incidents reported above includes only incidents, it is not a count of victims. In April, one incident in Zone 1 had a total of 13 non-fatal victims (in addition to 2 people killed) and in October, one incident had a total of 4 non-fatal victims.
___________________________________

A few statistics of note:

  • The total number of homicides through October 2022 has increased from 48 in 2021 to 60 in 2022.
  • The total number of non-fatal shooting incidents through October decreased from 142 in 2021 to 120 in 2022.
  • 9 homicides in October 2022 were far more than the 2 homicides in October 2021.
  • 16 non-fatal shooting incidents in October is slightly more than the 13 in 2021.
  • There were no homicides in police zones 3 or 4 in October and no non-fatal shooting incidents in zone 4.
  • In October, there were 4 homicides in Zone 1 and 3 in Zone 5.
  • Also in October, there were 5 non-fatal shooting incidents in Zones 1 and 3.
  • This year, the most homicides were in Zone 1 (15 homicides), then Zone 5 (14 homicides) then Zone 3 (11 homicides), then Zone 2 (10 homicides).
  • In 2022, the most nonfatal shooting incidents have been in Zone 1 (31 incidents), Zone 5 (28 incidents), Zone 3 (25 incidents) and Zone 2 (22 incidents).

Using a public health approach to violence prevention means attempting to understand the proximate and secondary causes of violence and tailoring solutions to fit the impacted population. There is no one answer.

If you are interested in working to change these statistics and increase the peace in the City of Pittsburgh, please click HERE to contact the STOP the Violence Office.

What will you do to help?
Facts & Stats Archive:
Pittsburgh Police
2021 Annual Statistical Report

If you really want to know what your Pittsburgh Police were doing in 2021, see the 2021 Annual Statistical Report which was released on May 11. The 131 page report covers everything from neighborhood crime and arrest statistics to personnel distribution and disciplinary actions.
Tips for You:

Tip #1:
Don't Leave Anything of Value Visible In Your Car

Anything of value can entice someone to break into your car.

So hide your computer, full shopping bags, wallet, firearm or groceries in the trunk or under a seat or blanket so they're not visible to anyone passing by.

Why let someone be tempted by something they see in your car?

A recent police report mentioned that someone broke into a car and stole a container of Hi-C!

Don't leave anything visible when you leave your car anyplace (even in front of your own house)!!


Tip #2:
The Right Activities for Your Children Are Available

Since school is now back in session, it is time to find the right out-of-school time activities for your children. Fortunately, there are plenty of outstanding programs in every neighborhood to choose from.

Academics, athletics, arts, sports, faith-based, recreation and more are available to you and/or your children. Some of these activities have a cost (but help is usually available if you ask), others are free.

The people who we associate with are important determinants of our future success, so make sure you surround yourself and your children with positive influences. Informal or formal mentoring is a component of most youth development programs.

If you need assistance finding the right activities or programs, please contact our Reach Outreach team members or STOPTheViolence@PittsburghPA.Gov.
Your Public Safety Council
Needs YOU!

Your zone's Public Safety Council is a place to go to stay aware of important developments relating to public safety in your police zone. It's also a great place to get to know your local police on a personal basis.

Public Safety Councils are run by residents and are open to all.

The usual meeting schedule is:







For connecting or other information about your Public Safety Council, click on the zone to send an email to the appropriate SaferTogether Coordinator:

Zones 1 & 5: Emily Embrey

Zones 2 & 3: Ian Reynolds

Zones 3 & 6: John Tokarski
Call Us If You Become Aware of a Dispute

If you hear of a school, social media or community dispute that needs to be defused before it leads to violence, please let us know. We would like to take positive steps to resolve such disputes before law enforcement must be called.

Please report any such disputes or issues to: STOP the Violence Office or text to 412-522-7286.
Domestic Violence Help:

Violence is not an acceptable method to resolve issues between friends or partners. If there are threats, please seek help!

When in danger, call 911 immediately.

Some other resources are in the Domestic Violence Resource Guide is reproduced below and can be accessed HERE.
October Poll Responses

Poll #1:
Do you like seeing resources mentioned in the STOP the Violence Newsletter?

  • Yes 85%
  • No 15%

Poll #2:
Had you heard of Cure Violence before today?
  • Yes 26%
  • No 74%

Poll #3:
Do you feel safer knowing that Pittsburgh has the REACH team in place?

  • Yes 64%
  • No 36%

Poll #4:
Have you ever had a safety concern about an event and didn't know where to turn?

  • Yes 36%
  • No 64%

Poll #5:
Have you ever prayed for peace and against violence?

  • Yes 60%
  • No 40%

Poll #6:
Do you think positive community activities receive enough attention in the media?

  • Yes 23%
  • No 77%

Thank you for responding.

What can you do to help?

Do You Have Any Ideas?

The Stop the Violence Newsletter is produced monthly by Jay Gilmer, Coordinator of the STOP the Violence Office of the City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety.

Please send any ideas, notices or suggestions to: STOP the Violence Office.
Coming Events

If you want to receive periodic event announcements or are aware of an anti-violence event that is open to the public, please click HERE to send us a notice or announcement. Thank you.
Zone 6 (West End Area) ONLY:
More Community Resources

If you are aware of an resource that can contribute to violence prevention or reducing the impact of violence, please click HERE to send us a notice or announcement. Thank you.
988 Suicide & Crisis Hotline

We can all help prevent suicide. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals in the United States.

Don't hesitate to call.

For more information on the Lifeline, including statistics on effectiveness and how YOU can become a trained responder, please click HERE.
Zones 3 & 6:
Youth & Family Mentoring & Support


1 Nation provides in-school based mentoring at Brashear High School, out-of-school time structured activities, including academic support, personal accountability and empowerment workshops, and summer camp for youth ranging from 5th grade through High school. 

Kevin McNair is Executive Director.

For further information, click HERE for their website.
Zone 3:
Youth Mentoring & Support-STEM Education


25 Carrick Avenue Project provides youth development and skills training from its location in Carrick. Program areas include entertainment and event technology, education, workforce development.

Key staff members include Pete Spynda, Executive Director, Jordan Gilliam, Director of Education, and Trevaun Hairston, Outreach Coordinator.

For further information, click HERE for their website.

1-412-330-4328

Offering world-renowned expertise in evaluating and treating children who have experienced traumatic life events or live with post-traumatic stress disorder. A program of Allegheny Health Network.
Zone 5:
Youth Mentoring & Support - Academics

Bible Center Church-The Maker's Clubhouse
1-412-242-4920

Offers afterschool STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture and Math) and socio-economic learning programming in Faison and Lincoln Schools.

For further information, click HERE for their website.
Zone 5:
Youth Mentoring & Support - Athletics & Academics

5315 Hillcrest Street - Garfield
1-412-404-2250

Serving boys and girls ages 7 through 17. Offering mentoring, tutoring, cultural and educational activities, recreation and parent information. Operating after-school and summer camp programs.

For further information, click HERE for their website.
Center for Victims
Hotline: 1-866-644-2882

Caring, professional staff is available 24 hours per day, seven days per week to respond to emergency needs of crime victims and witnesses, answer questions, and provide support. You can also call:

Valerie Dixon at the Center for Victims at 1-412-403-0194 or vdixon@venterforvictims.org.

Darnell Drewery at the Center for Victims at 1-412-758-9237 or ddrewery@centerforvictims.org.
Zone 4:
Youth & Family Mentoring & Support


Center of Life, based in Hazelwood, provides families and youth with the lifeskills, education, training and resources necessary to be strong and to make their communities strong. They have a variety of programs including after-school activities for youth in grades K-12, plus family services and resources.

Key staff include Reverend Tim Smith, Kiyomi Knox, DaVonne Fuller, Sarah Crawshaw, and Meg Mszyco.

For more information, click HERE for their website.
Zone 2:
Youth Mentoring & Support

1-412-26-CARES

CARES offers programs for pre-k through grade 12 – and beyond. They are committed to uplifting and transforming the lives of people of all ages through education, recreation, cultural enrichment, and thoughtful guidance.

For youth in pre-k through 5th grade, Cares offers nurturing, academic tutoring, recreational activities, and enrichment seminars.

For grades 6 to 12, Cares offers academic tutoring, career counseling, college and vocational school admissions assistance, and enrichment seminars.

For further information, click HERE for their website.
Zone 5:
Youth Mentoring, Family Support & Workforce Development

7120 Kelly Street - Homewood
1-412-371-3689

Offering a variety of youth development programs for youth, including Asante Nation Safe Passage After-School, Kamp Kuumba, Saturday University Out-of-School Programming and African-American Leadership Institute. Also offers workforce development for all ages.

For further information, click HERE for their website.
Zone 5:
Youth Mentoring & Support

412-345-7172

EECM offers a variety of in-school and after-school programs for youth of all ages. Programs include elementary educational support, media and musical outreach, girls enrichment and empowerment, sport (including hockey, volleyball, basketball cycling and more. They are work inside Obama and Westinghouse high Schools as well as many Zone 5 middle and elementary schools.

For further information, click HERE for their website.
Zone 5:
412-661-2802

A Federally Qualified Health Care Center providing a full range of medical, dental, pediatric, prenatal, and behavioral health services including staff therapists and a chaplain.  Locations in East Liberty, Lincoln-Lemington and Wilkinsburg. Even if you don’t have insurance, please come.

540 Suismon Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15212

Offering a variety of programs to prevent incarceration, chaplaincy and pre-release to serve individuals in Allegheny County Jail and aftercare to prevent recidivism. For information on their support community for reentering citizens, their families and community members, send an email HERE.

Please call if you need help or want to help:

Adult or Youth Diversion: 412-321-3343
Allegheny County Jail Chaplaincy: 412-350-2057
Allegheny County Jail Pre-Release: 412-350-1322
Jail or Prison Aftercare: 412-321-3343

GriefShare

Numerous Locations
in Allegheny County

GriefShare is for people grieving the death of a family member or friend. GriefShare groups meet weekly to help you face these challenges and move toward rebuilding your life. Each GriefShare session has three distinct elements: a video lesson, in-person group discussion, and personal reflection.

This weekly group is free (just purchase the workbook online), open to anyone, and is offered in numerous locations in western Pennsylvania. The 13 week series features a video and optional discussion. To be part of the next series, just find a location and sign up on the website at www.griefshare.org.

620 Stanwix Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
888-224-4673

As a peer support program, the Caring Place provides an environment where children, teens and adults can receive support from others their own ages who are going through very similar experiences, such as the loss of a parent or other loved one.
Zone 5:
Youth Mentoring & Support - Academics

Homewood Children's Village
1-412-727-7605

Offering holistic support to students at Lincoln PreK-5, Faison K-5 and Westinghouse High School. They use an integrated focus on academics, health and social services, youth and community development and community engagement.

For further information, click HERE for their website.
Jeremiah’s Place

6435 Frankstown Avenue
15206 (Larimer)
412-924-0726

Pittsburgh’s only crisis nursery. It provides emergency child care services for children ages 0-6 for a few hours or days based on the needs of each individual family. All services provided are free, available for 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.
Melanin Mommies

Latrice “Phoenix” Rose started Melanin Mommies out of a concern for family members of victims who are affected by grief and trauma. After doing a survey of families who lost someone, she realized that mental health services weren’t always offered to them. Even for those few families that received some counseling resources, they needed more for their families and children because the grief didn’t stop.

Do you need help coping with your loss? Is your child struggling to cope with the loss of a parent or sibling? Please sign up for the next Melanin Mommies Mental Healing Cohort. It will meet for 12 weeks every Saturday at 10:30 am. For more information, see the Melanin Mommies Facebook page or contact Latrice Rose at at Info@melaninmommiespgh.org.
Zone 5:
Men’s Huddle Group
 
Paul B. Jones, Sr. experienced the death of his 19 year old son Jeremiah in 2017. He formed The Men’s Huddle Group as a support group for fathers who have lost children to gun violence and otherwise.

The Men’s Huddle Group meets the fourth Thursday of each month from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at Eastminster Presbyterian Church in East Liberty (250 Highland Avenue, 15206 – across from Home Depot).
 
For additional information, contact Paul Jones via email at jonzboyz@aol.com or call anytime (24/7) at 412-613-1912.
The MOMS Group
Support For Mothers

Tina Ford of Clairton formed Mothers of Murdered Sons (The MOMS Group) after the loss of her son in 2019.

The MOMS Group meets in Clairton on the third Saturday of each month. All are welcome, just call Tina in advance for the location. If transportation is a problem, just call Tina – MOMS sometimes arranges transportation or makes home visits to provide support.
 
For more information, see the MOMS Group Facebook page HERE or contact Tina Ford at 412-219-7157 or Momsgroup2020@gmail.com..
412-261-1234
 
The Trauma Response Team cares for the acute needs of family and friends of homicide victims of gun violence across all of Allegheny County.

Dan Emerick, MDiv, MSW – Trauma Response Team Manager
Zone 4:
Youth Development & Mentoring, Workforce Development

1-412-670-8421

Based in Hazelwood, POORLAW offers mentoring for youth from ages 5 and up, intergenerational sharing and workforce development.

For further information, please see their website by clicking HERE.
Zone 1:
Youth & Family Mentoring & Support


Project Destiny operates from 5 locations on the Northside and provides a variety of services to youth and families. Services include after-school programs from 3 to 6 pm daily, counseling, pre-school programs, and mentoring.

The Reverend Dr. Brenda Gregg is Executive Director. Key staff include Jamella Hamlin, Daphne Curges, Gary Nolan and Darryl Goodwine.

For further information, click HERE for their website.
City-wide:
Adult Workforce Development


Trade Institute of Pittsburgh provides skill training and wrap-around services for individuals interested in construction trades. Their primary location is in Homewood, but they accept students from across the region.

Key staff include Donta Green, Executive Director, Kirk Gilbert, Case Manager and Chett Williams, Life Coach.

For further information, click HERE for their website.
Zone 1:
Youth Mentoring & Support

1-412-321-3811

Urban Impact provides a safe place for in and out-of-school programming opportunities for children from preschool through high school in various locations on the NorthSide.

They offer 60+ unique programs, including:

  • Education/Academics
  • Athletics
  • Performing Arts
  • Options Workforce Readiness

Learn more by visiting their website: ULIPgh.org.
Zone 5:
Life Skills & Family Support-Housing

134 South Highland Avenue #6 - East Liberty
1-412-573-9217

Offers trauma and life skills individual, group and family workshops and a variety of educational opportunities for entrepreneurship and job readiness.

Also offers specialized counseling to prepare individuals and families to be emotionally, physically and financially fit to purchase a home. Also offers renters eviction coaching, credit and budget counseling.

For further information, click HERE for their website.
Zone 5:
Youth Mentoring & Support - Athletics

Westinghouse Youth Wrestling
1-412-709-0775

"Wrestling is one of the greatest sports for helping young kids build their character, develop self-confidence, improve discipline, and strengthen their will to succeed."

For community youth from any school who are between ages 5 and 17.

Participants also participate in outdoor experiences, goal setting and mentorship.

For additional information, contact Justin Perkins, Director at the above telephone number or click HERE to send an email.
Zone 5:
Youth Mentoring & Support

1-412-661-7834


YES provides socially and economically at risk youth the opportunity to achieve success through participation in mentorship, education, and enrichment programs. Mentorship is available to students who are ages 14-21, attending Pittsburgh Public Schools or schools in surrounding districts. Education programs include academics, employment preparation, leadership development and empowerment.

To get involved as a mentor, volunteer or to enroll a student, just click HERE.
Zone 5:
Reentry Support

412-595-6666

Za'Kiyah House provides housing, life skills and reentry support for men and women from several locations, including one in Homewood.

Ronna Davis-Moore is the Executive Director. Key staff include Joseph Moore and Regina Pearson.

For further information, click HERE for their website.
Teen Dating Violence

Since one in three teens is a victim of teen dating violence, you probably know someone who has been a victim.

Click HERE for resources on teen dating violence. Click on the picture for a Teen Dating Violence Action Action Guide.
Other:

  • Alma Illery Medical Center’s Behavioral Health Services Office:
412-244-4700
  • City of Pittsburgh Dept. of Public Safety’s Victims of Crime Office:
412-707-2988
  • Dr. Staci Ford, Trauma Therapist: 412-277-4616
  • Jessica Gurley, LCSW: (412) 204-6934
  •  RESOLVE Crisis Center - 24 hours: 1-888-796-8226
Poll #9: Do you think the grant recipients listed above can impact violence?
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