Neighborhood Employment

Pittsburgh's Northside is emerging as the region's new destination spot. A new ballpark, stadium, improvements to the riverfront and vast economic development plans signal a Northside renaissance. Yet, the excitement and fervor of the new development cannot mask the underlying social and human service issues of the Northside residents. The bricks and mortar approach to community development must be supplemented by other programs. To aid in this effort, the Northside Leadership Conference administers a community based employment counseling and placement program. The employment program is chartered as a Mini-Center of the Team Pennsylvania CareerLink network.

The need for the Mini-Center is clear. During the last program year, over 300 individuals applied for assistance. A majority of these applicants are economically disadvantaged and/or recipients of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF).
A review of applicants for a one year time period reveals the following characteristics:

• Roughly 75% have only a high school diploma, GED or less;
  
• Approximately 70% of individuals utilizing the Mini-Center are minority;
  
• More than 60% are single heads of households; and
  
• Approximately 65% of Mini-Center applicants have access only to public transportation

Helping Northside residents to become self-sufficient is not as simple as helping them find a job. Many Mini-Center applicants have other issues that follow them into the workplace. Barriers include access to childcare, transportation and housing. The Mini-Center has also witnessed a surge in the number of applicants who need emergency food and utility assistance.

In 2000, the Mini-Center placed 124 low-income residents in full-time unsubsidized employment. The average starting wage of Mini-Center placements is $9/hour. Residents were placed with local companies including: Allegheny General Hospital, Allied Security, Chris Candies, Giant Eagle, H.J. Heinz, National City Bank, PNC Bank, TRACO, UPMC and UPS.

Mini-center Initiatives

• With funding from the Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Development, the Mini-Center is working in conjunction with local employers
  on a job readiness/job survival program.
  
• A new partnership with Triangle Tech has resulted in the implementation of training programs focusing on Welding and Precision Machining.
  
• A Job Fair held in the spring had participation from over 30 employers and training providers and was attended by over 150 job seekers