Category: Kids

Info & local resources for COVID-19: Lawrenceville

by David Breingan

Updated 3/22/2020

 

Now more than ever, it’s important that we work together as a community to take care of all our neighbors. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, LU is communicating with partners in Lawrenceville and beyond to anticipate needs in the weeks ahead. Please know that we’re here for you and don’t hesitate to reach out with your needs during this uncertain time: 412-802-7220 or info@LUnited.org. For general guidance and information, follow the most recent updates from the CDC, the Allegheny County Health Department, and PA’s Department of Health. Residents can create an account at www.alleghenycounty.us/alerts to subscribe for COVID-19 alerts from ACHD under the categories of Health Department/Health & Environment. See below for a number of local resources. For additional ones, dial 2-1-1, check out Rep. Innamorato’s COVID-19 Resource Guide, and this Pittsburgh Mutual Aid Spreadsheet.

 

LU notices

LU no longer has access to its office and our staff is working from home. We continue to be available by phone at 412-802-7220 and email at info@LUnited.org. All LU block watches and community meetings in March are cancelled. All LU committee meetings in March will be conducted via phone/video conference, or else postponed. Goodwill generously provided adjacent space for us to continue 412 Food Rescue donations. We’ll update the community with ongoing changes at www.LUnited.org/coronavirus, social media, the LU e-newsletter, and targeted robo-dials to older adults. Please assist us with sharing information/resources with hard-to-reach neighbors.

 

For older adults & others at higher risk

According to the CDC, older adults and people who have serious chronic medical conditions are at higher risk of getting very sick from COVID-19, and are recommended to stay home and away from other people (at least 6 feet).

The CDC further encourages residents “to seek out a ‘buddy’ who will check on and help care for them if they get sick.” For residents who don’t know how to seek out a “buddy,” 100+ Lawrenceville residents have stepped up to support those who are at higher risk from COVID-19 by offering to do check-in phone calls, pick up and deliver groceries/prescriptions, prepare home-cooked meals, share relevant health information, provide pet care, take out the garbage, collect mail, and more. We encourage older adults and residents with serious chronic medical conditions to take the advice of the CDC and accept a “Buddy” to have a support system (or a back-up to your existing support system) in the days and weeks ahead. Sign up here or by calling 412-802-7220.

Locally, all known pharmacies in the neighborhood currently offer delivery services:

  • Wilson’s Pharmacy (412.621.6471) offers free delivery typically between 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Simply call ahead with your order. They can also include other items like drinks/candy, etc.
  • Shop N Save Pharmacy (412.784.8600) offers free delivery during their regular hours (9 a.m. – 7 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. weekends). Just call ahead. They’re a separate entity than the grocery store and can’t include groceries, but can order over-the-counter medications that are out of stock and include that for delivery with a day’s notice.
  • The Rite Aids in Lawrenceville (412.682.6970) and Bloomfield (412.621.9987) offer delivery  of prescriptions on weekdays in the later afternoon if you call the day before. Depending on Rite Aid Wellness status, there may be a $3 delivery fee. Possible to add over-the-counter medicines for delivery with prescription.

 

For folks facing food, housing, & financial insecurity

Food:

  • Registered members of the Lawrenceville Healthy Active Living (Senior) Center can now get pre-packaged meals given out 11 AM to 1 PM on M/W/F.
  • The Lawrenceville Food Pantry is open Mondays & Tuesdays from 11 AM to 12:30 PM at St. Mary’s Lyceum. No eligibility documents are required for the first pick-up. Can do delivery, but call ahead to 412.682.3877.
  • Piazza Talarico & Papa Joe’s Wine Cellar is collecting donations and packing food to feed Pittsburgh children.
  • Call LU before noon on Fridays if you want to pick up food through our 412 Food Rescue donation program: 412-802-7220.

Housing/Utilities:

  • There’s a moratorium on evictions in Allegheny County through April 14. You cannot be evicted during this time. “Self-help” evictions (changing locks, turning off utilities) are illegal and should be reported to the PA Office of Attorney General.
  • COVID-19 Housing Stabilization Fund: 412.227.4163, ura.org/pages/covid-19 
  • LU also has some small funds for folks experiencing housing instability right now: 412.802.7220.

Utilities:

Financial:

Mental/Emotional Support

 

  • Re:Solve: crisis hotline, 24-hour service – 888-796-8226
  • PSAN “Warmline”: mental health support by phone, 10am-midnight – 866-661-9276.
  • Disaster Distress Hotline (SAMHSA): 800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746.
  • PA Dept. of Health: text “PA” to 741-741

 

For families

  • Pittsburgh Public Schools is changing their “Grab & Go” meals starting 3/23. Starting then, meals will be distributed 11 AM to 1 PM Tuesday and Friday. Multiple meals will be distributed both days. PPS is also using these sites to distribute grade-level activity packets for students out of school. There will be 30 “Grab & Go” locations: none of them are in Lawrenceville/Bloomfield/Garfield. The nearest locations are Pittsburgh Obama (515 N Highland Ave), Pittsburgh Weil (2250 Centre Ave), and Pittsburgh Spring Hill (1351 Damas St).
  • Multiple volunteers have offered to provide childcare and even education services for local families. Contact LU at 412-802-7220 for more information.

 

For the helpers

  • The Lawrenceville Food Pantry needs volunteers to pack bags anytime between 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays. Call 412-704-5640 if you can help.
  • Join over 100 Lawrenceville neighbors and sign up to become a “Buddy” to a higher risk neighbor by checking in with them by phone, sharing updates, delivering groceries/prescriptions/needed items, or sharing a meal. To sign up, please complete THIS FORM or call 412-802-7220.

 

Stop the stigma

Per the CDC, “Some groups of people who may be experiencing stigma because of COVID-19 include: persons of Asian descent, people who have traveled, and emergency responders or healthcare providers. Stigma hurts everyone by creating fear or anger towards other people. Stigmatized groups may be subjected to social avoidance or rejection; denials of healthcare, education, housing or employment; and physical violence.

Stigma affects the emotional or mental health of stigmatized groups and our entire community. Stopping stigma is important to making Lawrenceville resilient. Everyone can help stop stigma related to COVID-19 by knowing the facts and sharing them with neighbors.”

 

Support our small business community

See Lawrenceville Corporation’s constantly updating list of what local businesses are currently open, with suggestions for how to support them right now.

 

BIG WORK DAY @ Duncan Park

by Helen

 

 

 

Calling all volunteers!

LU, Tree Pittsburgh: Lawrenceville Tree Tenders, and the neighbors of Duncan Park are organizing a BIG WORK DAY. This work day will help push the park to completion and provide a brand new natural play-space in the neighborhood.

Stay for the entire day or pick a shift to stop by and lend a hand. Dress in work clothes, bring a pair of gloves, and please wear closed toed shoes. This work day will involve physical labor, the usage of basic hand tools, and team work. All students under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

Please contact Lawrenceville United info@lunited.org if you have any questions. Water, light snacks, and lunch will be provided to all volunteers.

Sign up via the Pittsburgh Cares site: https://buff.ly/2Zo4vXH

Volunteer Shifts:

8am – 10am
10am – 1pm
1pm – 4pm
4pm – 6pm

Task will include:

Spreading Gravel
Spreading Woodchips
Spreading Topsoil
General Landscaping
Weeding
Planting

Now hiring: Community Organizer for PEP Rally

by David Breingan

Announcement of Open Position

Community Organizer

 

Lawrenceville United is seeking a highly passionate, productive, strategic individual to join our team of dedicated community advocates and professionals to staff the PEP Rally program, which works with families and community partners to strengthen and support Lawrenceville’s neighborhood public schools.

 

About Lawrenceville United

Lawrenceville United (LU) is an inclusive, resident-driven community-based non-profit organization that works to improve and protect the quality of life of all Lawrenceville residents and stakeholders. LU envisions a safe, clean, green, healthy and diverse community where residents work together to shape the neighborhood’s future, while honoring Lawrenceville’s past. For more information on LU, please visit www.LUnited.org.

Summary of Position

The community organizer position is responsible for leading all aspects of the PEP Rally program, which began in 2013 as a pilot program and has since grown to be a key program of Lawrenceville United, in collaboration with school leaders and other community partners. PEP Rally aims to support and strengthen target neighborhood public schools by engaging parents as agents of positive change within the schools and community, and by facilitating partnerships to fuel community-supported initiatives that address student, school, family, and community needs. Goals of the program include:

  1. Build meaningful parent engagement at target schools.
  2. Create conditions within schools and the community to retain and attract families by fostering community-supported initiatives.
  3. Educate families on the school choices and resources available, guiding parents through the navigation process, and building collective trust in the neighborhood schools.
  4. Develop leadership of families to share in decision making and affect positive change in Pittsburgh Public Schools and in the community.

This position requires a learning mindset, outstanding relationship-building abilities, and a strong generalist skill set. The ideal candidate has high energy, time management skills, patience, listening skills, and experience working with diverse communities and managing partnerships. To achieve program outcomes, the community organizer works closely with LU staff, school staff, community organizations and partners, and families.

 

Reporting Relationship

The community organizer reports to and is evaluated by the Executive Director of Lawrenceville United.

 

Essential Functions

Community Organizing:

  • Building and managing an engaged base of parent and community stakeholders and  members by building relationships with individuals in the community, engaging and recruiting parents and community members to serve as leaders, and to participate in events, projects, and campaigns.
  • Initiating and leading project: strategic thinking and planning, issue identification, coalition building, building mobilization plan with community contacts and leaders, mobilizing parents and community members, identifying recommendations for moving forward

 

Community Engagement:

  • Delivering information to the community that is accurate, grounded in data, and easy to understand
  • Being familiar and able to discuss current community and educational issues
  • Recruiting community members to participate in projects in meaningful ways
  • Facilitating conversations with, and presenting to, community groups and families
  • Developing and maintaining community relationships and partnerships to achieve outcomes
  • Engaging with school staff and administrators to build meaningful engagement with the community and supporting school initiatives

 

Administrative:

  • Completing monthly reports and timesheets
  • Updating contacts and records regularly in LU database
  • Participating in the development and execution of other complimentary community programs
  • Managing budgets
  • Reporting on outcomes and completing grant updates
  • Other duties as required to support LU’s mission

 

Supervisory:

  • Managing and coaching three part-time parents to lead campaign focused on improving school climate and educational equity
  • Program management of specific projects (e.g. after school and community programs)
  • Overseeing interns and volunteers

 

Qualifications

  • A bachelor’s degree or at least three years of relevant experience
  • Track record of leadership
  • Experience working with diverse populations and underserved groups
  • A passion for educational equity and social justice
  • Successful experience working with groups through processes such as facilitation and consensus building
  • A comfort level with being in the spotlight, but not having the spotlight be about them; rather it being about the larger education issues and relevant concerns
  • A respect for and comfort level with rigorous and healthy debate about issues
  • A desire to continually learn, and an ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment
  • Ability to work flexible schedule

 

Skills

  • Demonstrated organizational skills with project management
  • Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to build relationships with diverse populations
  • Analysis and synthesis skills, including the ability to collect information, determine key objectives, and act strategically and decisively
  • Excellent communication skills, including verbal, written and public speaking
  • Coalition building skills, including the ability to motivate, negotiate, and persuade stakeholders into a course of action
  • Demonstrated skills in community organizing such as identifying actionable issues within a larger problem, building the leadership of others, mobilizing groups of people and choosing when to follow
  • Experience working with (or ability to learn) Microsoft Office suite, social media, SalesForce, Google Drive.
  • Foreign language skills and knowledge of Pittsburgh educational landscape preferred

 

A starting salary of $40,000-45,000 (commensurate with experience) and full benefits package will be provided. LU is an equal opportunity employer, committed to hiring and supporting a diverse workforce. Qualified individuals who bring diverse perspectives and represent marginalized communities are especially encouraged to apply.

 

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume to Dave Breingan at HR@LUnited.org by December 29, 2017. Please use your cover letter to describe what aspects of the job interest you most.

Recap from Health Dept. presentation on the air quality permit process

by David Breingan

In advance of Allegheny County Health Department’s upcoming release of the draft operating permit for McConway and Torley, Lawrenceville United and Lawrenceville Corporation hosted a community meeting with ACHD on 10/4/2017 regarding the air quality permit process, what to look for, and how the public can engage.

Please see below for materials from the meeting:

    • Powerpoint from ACHD
    • Full video of the presentation and Q&A:

According to ACHD, the draft operating permit for McConway and Torley will be released at the end of October or at the beginning of November. A minimum 30-day public comment period will ensue, during which community members can provide input on the draft operating permit.

LU and LC will schedule a community meeting with ACHD specific to the McConway and Torley operating draft within that period, and are also working with ACHD around scheduling a public hearing in Lawrenceville.

For any questions, please contact LU at 412-802-7220 or info@LUnited.org.

Why air quality matters:

  • Current levels of pollution still place the City of Pittsburgh in the dirtiest 15% in the country for particulate matter 2.5 (PM 2.5)
  • Pittsburgh is the 8th most polluted city in America for PM 2.5, and the 26th most polluted city for ozone.
  • Air pollution is the 4th highest-ranking risk factor for death globally, and the 10th highest-ranking risk factor in the United States.
  • The health effects of air pollution include increased risks of cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, asthma & respiratory disease, reproductive and developmental outcomes.

Free mini-consultations with architects at “Housing For All” event

by David Breingan

Got a home project in mind? Want a personal consultation with an architect or landscape architect? FREE 15-minute mini-consultations with architects from the Design Center are available from 12-2 PM this Saturday 8/12 at the Lawrenceville “Housing For All” Event & Workshop sponsored by Allegheny Valley Bank / Standard Bank. Sign up using the Google Form HERE and bring your photos/drawings/plans with you!

The Lawrenceville “Housing for All” Event & Workshop starts promptly at 12 noon on Saturday 8/12 at the Persad Center (5301 Butler Street, Suite 100) and will last until 4 PM with a full day of presentations, discussions, and resources related to housing for renters, homeowners, and prospective homebuyers. Free lunch, childcare, and LED lighbulb & nightlight giveaways from Duquesne Light. Topics include renters rights, affordable homeownership programs in Lawrenceville, a legal panel, weatherization programs, abating lead in your home, and much more. Please see flyer and schedule below for more information.

 

Back to School Bash

by Lawrenceville United Intern

You’re invited to the 4th Annual Back to School Bash in Arsenal Park in Lawrenceville from 11-1pm on Saturday, August 19th

FREE family event hosted by Encounter Church, New Bethel Baptist Church, Trinity Baptist Church, and Lawrenceville United to promote a prepared start to the school year. Over 300 backpacks will be given away filled with school supplies! There will be fun and educational kids activities including free food, face painting, music, and a bounce house.

Staff from local schools and youth programs will be there with kids activities and sign ups for fall programs. Come on out. It’s going to be so much fun!
Stick around afterwards for the Lawrenceville Farmers Market from 1 pm to 4pm!

For more information, please call Lawrenceville United at 412-802-7220, visit www.encounterpgh.com or check out the event page on Facebook.

*Rain Location: New Bethel Baptist Church *