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Hello Friends,
The Pittsburgh Project has been in existence since 1985. Each season in The Life of TPP has looked a little different. While leadership has shifted, the community has changed, kids have grown up and started their own families, and some neighbors have moved on. The heart of The Pittsburgh Project has remained the same. From the very beginning, the vision of our organization adapted from Zechariah 8:4-5 has been “That Pittsburgh will be called a City of Truth, where once again, men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets, each with cane in hand because of age, and where the city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.”
I have a small framed note sitting on my desk with those words that I read daily. It’s a reminder of what once was and what is to come. It’s confirmation that this work is bigger than just The Pittsburgh Project and will take people from all walks of life to bring this vision to fruition.
As of late, we’ve shared a lot through our social media and other communications about our youth programming. And while that is a huge part of our work these days, it’s not the only thing happening at TPP. Since 2021 we have partnered with the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), working through their Homeowner Assistance Program (HAP) to help provide home repairs for folks at or below 50% of the Area Median Income. We work with contractors, connect them with homeowners, and help walk them through the process. One homeowner said "I was so fearful, not knowing the process and how I was going to be treated, but from the second we met I was instantly at ease."
What a gift it has been to be welcomed into someone's home and be given the opportunity to help improve someone's living situation. Our homes are the places where we spend the majority of our time. And each of us deserves to live in a home where we feel comfortable and safe. Many of the people we’ve worked with through the HAP program over the past few years are senior citizens who have lived in their homes for years. They have often been a part of their community, and this is an opportunity to care for them as they have often cared for others.
As mentioned above in the vision of The Pittsburgh Project, the hope is that one day Pittsburgh will be a place where every person, young and old, will feel safe enough to sit, dance and play in the streets—without fear of being hurt, taken advantage of, forgotten or overlooked. I believe it’s a gift to walk alongside young people, senior citizens, and everyone in between as a part of the work we do at The Pittsburgh Project.
In the life cycle of The Pittsburgh Project, the program models have changed, as have the faces of those producing the programs and the community around us. Still, the message remains true: we are all made in God's image, and we are unique, valuable, and deserving of dignity. That’s the picture I see when I read our vision each day. I see streets full of beautiful smiling faces sharing hope with each other, older people empowering the youth to take on future challenges, and everyone working in one accord to build and maintain a better community!
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