Pittsburgh, PA − May 3, 2019 − Today, Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa, Jr. announced grant awards to three senior centers in the 43rd Senatorial District.
“Pennsylvania has an aging population, and it’s important that we invest in our seniors,” said Senator Costa. “These folks have invested in our communities for their entire lives and now it’s our responsibility to make sure that they’re able to grow old in centers that offer top notch care and programming.”
The centers receiving today’s awards are:
- Homewood Healthy Active Living Center, $38,200
- Greenfield Healthy Active Living Center, $66,055
- Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, $62,788
Grant funding opportunities are intended for enhancements that increase participation and programming, attract a new generation of older adults, and enable senior community centers to provide a safe and healthy environment for participants.
The Pennsylvania Department of Aging announced $2 million in new grant funding opportunities for Pennsylvania’s Senior Community Centers in 2018-2019.
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Pittsburgh, PA − May 2, 2019 − Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) issued the following reaction to a recent tweet from a Pennsylvania House member comparing union pipeline construction workers to Nazis:
“It is disappointing and unacceptable for anyone to refer to hardworking, union men and women who are engaged in pipeline building as “Nazis.” The men and women doing the work on the pipelines are the backbone of America: highly-trained, skilled professionals whose top priority is safety and security.
“The union workers are interested in safe, high-quality craftsmanship in pipeline development which helps ensure safety for all citizens and communities. As critical, their dedication and professionalism holds pipeline construction companies accountable to higher quality standards.”
Harrisburg, Pa. − April 30, 2019 − Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa, Jr. announced today that the Pennsylvania School Safety and Security Fund awarded $350,000 to the Community Empowerment Association, Inc. to fund its work in violence prevention and the treatment of trauma.
“Violence is a comprehensive problem in our communities and it requires a comprehensive solution. That’s why I was proud to recommend Community Empowerment Association because I know their long history of work in this space,” said Senator Costa. “I’m impressed by the plans CEA has for assessment and addressing the prevention of violence, but also treating its effects and traumas when it does happen. We know that we cannot eradicate violence, and it’s important that we care for victims too.”
Through its initiative, CEA will conduct a comprehensive evaluation and assessment that will help disclose the strengths of the youth and families as well as adverse childhood experiences that are identified. CEA focuses its intervention and prevention strategies using a strength-based approach, utilizing the principles of trauma informed care, respected culturally appropriateness, trust and empowerment.
This project intends to teach participants how to cope with historically painful and strained experiences; implement a Multi-Media Training regarding undesirable impact of violence and how to help avert or stop violence; incorporate the Public Health approach in order to significantly improve the relationship between families, residents and the local police force; complete Community Education Forums and Focus Groups, which extends the community-wide collaborative relationships for violence prevention among families, residents and the police.
This project also intends to implement family engagement efforts and persuade participants to go beyond accumulation of knowledge and understanding to subsequent active engagement in violence prevention task; and will conduct a Community Wide Summit which will generate a resident group consented action plan for decreasing violence in the community, homes and schools.
This project will reach at least 5,000 individuals and families, with a special focus on low-income, marginalized communities – East Liberty, Lincoln-Lemington, Garfield, Homewood, Wilkinsburg, Penn Hills, Braddock, Rankin and McKeesport areas of the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.
“Last year, we in state government decided that had seen enough violence in our schools and communities and created a grant program for schools and organizations to make their facilities and neighborhoods safer,” said Senator Costa. “Our community stepped up and submitted worthy applications for these grants to reduce violence and I’m anxious to see their work brought to fruition.”
Act 44 of 2018 created a School Safety and Security Fund for the purposes of providing funding to school districts for school safety and security concerns and addressing community violence. $60 million was put into the fund with $7.5 million for community anti-violence programs and the remaining 52.5 million for school safety.
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Harrisburg, Pa. − April 30, 2019 − Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa, Jr. announced today $350,000 in state grant funding in a violence prevention initiative for the Woodland Hills School District communities in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Action Against Rape.
“Last year, we in state government decided that had seen enough violence in our schools and communities and created a grant program for schools and organizations to make their facilities and neighborhoods safer,” said Senator Costa. “Our community stepped up and submitted worthy applications for these grants to reduce violence and I’m anxious to see their work brought to fruition.”
Pittsburgh Action Against Rape will deliver a comprehensive approach to reducing sexual violence by primarily working with WHSD and continued work in the community through the parents and community members of the district.
“When we created these grants, I made it a priority to ensure that Woodland Hills and the surrounding area got the funds they need for anti-violence programming,” said Senator Costa. “I also want to thank the Pittsburgh Action Against Rape for taking the lead in developing this project.”
The proposed programs include an after-school program for K-6 th grade, two days a week; social norms group; Coaching Boys Into Men (CBIM); Athletes Leading Change (ALC); Parents in the Know (PITK) trainings to other professionals, and the use of a Community Readiness Model (CRAM), which measures a community’s readiness to change.
These programs will serve up to 3,500 students and 600 adults, as well as surrounding communities with an estimated population of 21,000 individuals
This project will deliver a comprehensive approach to reducing sexual violence by primarily working with WHSD youth and continued work in the community to the parents and community members of the district. Prevention work will be done on multiple levels including evidence- and research-based programming to youth in the school district through afterschool programs, working with parents, male and female athletes, trainings of professions within the school district and systems in the feeder municipalities.
Programs to students will be done through classroom presentations, after-school programming, small group work with male and female athletes, and community work with parents and caregivers. Programs will focus on social norms to increase bystander intervention skills, awareness of trauma focused services available to victims and their families and increase and identify resiliency factors in students.
Act 44 of 2018 created a School Safety and Security Fund for the purposes of providing funding to school districts for school safety and security concerns and addressing community violence. $60 million was put into the fund with $7.5 million for community anti-violence programs and the remaining 52.5 million for school safety.
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