Strategic Plan
Neighborhood Partnership Program
Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation
July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2018
Page Number
Executive Summary
1
Vision & Strategic Objectives
2
Community Demographics and Problems
4
Program/Project Narrative
6
Community Measures & Outcomes
9
Agency Profile
10
Collaborations
13
1
Executive Summary
The Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation (BGC) seeks to continue corporate
support through June 30, 2018 from the state’s Neighborhood Partnership
Program (NPP) for a broad array of programs, projects, and activities aimed
at the long-term revitalization of portions of the Garfield, Friendship, and
Bloomfield neighborhoods in Pittsburgh. The outcomes of this initiative will
be a healthier physical and social environment, a stronger neighborhood
economy, and a rebuilding tax base. The neighborhoods targeted for the
project abut the Penn Avenue commercial corridor from Children’s Hospital
to Negley Avenue in Pittsburgh’s upper East End.
The BGC will implement the NPP, supported by a partnership with
Duquesne Light. The utility company seeks to promote private reinvestment
in distressed areas, eliminate negative environmental conditions, and spur
economic opportunities for working-class households and would-be
entrepreneurs in communities across the region. The project, as designed,
will ensure improvements to the quality of life for over 5,000 households in
these neighborhoods, a third of whom earned less than $20,000 annually at
the time of the 2000 Census.
Low-income residents will see a number of opportunities continue to be
available to them: obtaining a well-rounded public education for their
children, finding gainful employment, accessing first-rate health care,
securing their streets from crime and other threats to the environment,
purchasing or leasing modern, energy-efficient housing, and seeing
commitments of public and private investment in their business districts.
The Penn Corridor Renewal Project will engage residents, business
people, community-based organizations, and public and private institutions
and investors in achieving the following objectives between July 1, 2012
and June 30, 2018:




2
Assist the City of Pittsburgh in undertaking Phase I of the reconstruction of
the public infrastructure in the Penn Avenue corridor in 2013, and in
facilitating the design and engineering work associated with Phase II in
order to accomplish its reconstruction by 2018.
Complete the construction by 2013 of five new, single-family, for-sale houses
by the BGC and its partners in Garfield, and lay the groundwork for future
new housing development through an on-going community planning process.
Finish renovations to 2-3 vacant houses in Garfield 2012-13 and in each of
the succeeding years. in partnership with other non-profit groups, offering
lower-income households the opportunity to become homeowners.
Reduce by 30% the number of vacant, blighted buildings in the Penn Avenue
corridor by 2018 through the provision of technical assistance and in-house
financing incentives to would-be purchasers or commercial tenants.









Engage in various marketing, maintenance and beautification projects in the
Penn Avenue corridor in order to increase community pride and enhance the
corridor’s long-term appeal to investors and business owners.
Support greening projects and creative re-uses of vacant land or buildings in
Garfield to fill in around new housing developments or add to the amenities
available to residents of the immediate or surrounding neighborhoods.
Enroll 50 low-income youths and young adults from the target area annually
in a year-round employment and career-focused counseling program, and
provide an additional 35 to 40 young people annually with paid summer work
experiences.
Improve academic achievement and developmental skills in 60 low-income
children enrolled at Woolslair Elementary, Arsenal Elementary, Arsenal
Middle, and University Prep High Schools.
Oversee an employment readiness training program for 325 low-income
adults from the target area, and place at least 150 of those clients in
permanent part- or full-time jobs.
Support a school-based delivery system of health care services and wellness
education for at least 125 public-school children, in partnership with local
hospitals and the Pittsburgh Public Schools.
Publish and distribute The Bulletin newspaper monthly to 20,000 households
to inform and engage residents in the on-going efforts to accomplsh the
objectives of the Neighborhood Partnership Plan
Utilize the Garfield Public Safety Task Force to assist at least 40 residents in
addressing problems arising from crime and anti-social behaviors, and help
met critical needs through pinpoint delivery of city and/or county services.
Provide back-office support to the volunteers associated with Garfield Youth
Sports in delivering structured recreation programs to 110 low-income
children from the target area.
Strategic Objectives of the NPP
A new Neighborhood Partnership Plan was formulated this year to help drive
and guide the physical and economic revitalization of Garfield and the
adjoining Penn Avenue corridor over the next 3 to 5 years. It takes its cue
from a 20-year blueprint completed in 2010 intended to inform the larger
community on how best to approach the challenge of rebuilding the
community. It was prepared in the aftermath of an intensive planning
process that is on-going to this day. The plan analyzes existing conditions
and trends, assembles important data, and lays out a series of recommendations on how, when, and where to implement change strategies.
The objectives of this Plan are laid out in timetables that identify who the
lead, or “champion”, organizations are to be. If successful, the Plan will help
in accomplishing the following:
1) Add significant numbers of new, for-sale and rental housing to
the target area’s stock of affordably-priced units, spurring
growth in its population and regeneration of its tax base;
2) Stimulate new investment in the Penn Avenue corridor through
3
upgrades to public infrastructure, support for maintenance
and beautification projects, organizing of promotional efforts,
and technical assistance to prospective new business owners;
3) Increase the educational proficiency of elementary schoolchildren, and the graduation rates of secondary-school students
through expanded after-school and summer programs;
4) Enable significant numbers of teenagers and adults to enter
the workforce through the operation of job readiness training
and placement programs at a community employment &
technology center;
5) Sustain community-based efforts to educate children and
adults in the value of money, prudent borrowing practices, and
the benefits inherent in homeownership.
6) Deliver primary health care and wellness programs to adults
and children through a hospital-supported network of services;
7) Help low-income seniors secure decent housing, file their
federal & state tax returns, and complete rent or property tax
rebate forms;
8) Combat the incidence of crime and presence of other negative
environmental conditions in the community through an initiative
that coordinates the efforts of city, county, and state agencies;
9) Find alternative, sustainable uses for vacant land or abandoned
property deemed unsuitable for housing development;
10) Maintain a high level of interest and involvement by residents
and other key stakeholders in the process of shaping change
and renewal within the target areas;
Community Demographics & Problematic Trends
The targeted area served by this Project consists of 7 U.S. census tracts:
1017, 1016, 1104 (Garfield), 806, 807 (Friendship); and 809 (upper Bloomfield)
All of them border the Penn Avenue Corridor. Together, they were home to
8,250 people in 2000. Some of the key characteristics of the area are as
follows:
♦57% of households earned less than $25,000 in 1999; (% for
4
city was 44.6%); 27% of households earned under $10,000
annually, compared to 18% for the city as a whole;
♦29% were female-headed households; (city % was 16.5%)
♦64.5% of housing units were renter-occupied; (city % was 47.9%)
♦26.5% were 19 years of age or younger; (city % was 24.3%)
♦46% were African-American; (city % was 27.1%)
Other salient, more current data attest to the challenges in the public
education system facing the community:
◊ 34.5% of 5th-graders at Ft. Pitt Elementary scored below the
Basic (or “C” grade) skill level in reading on state exams in 2009;
at Woolslair Elementary in Bloomfield, the comparable
percentage was 35%; and at Arsenal Elementary in
Lawrenceville, 51% scored below the Basic level in reading on the
same exams. The comparable percentage for the Pittsburgh
school district as a whole was 27%.
◊ 28.8% of 8th graders at Arsenal Middle School scored below the
Basic skill level in reading on state exams in 2009, compared to
17.3% across the school district.
◊ 57.3% of 11th-graders at Peabody High (now closed) scored
below the Basic skill level in math in 2009, and 48% scored below
the Basic level in reading, compared to 36.7% in math and 32%
in reading across the school district;
In Garfield, which comprises 3 of the 6 census tracts in the target area,
other recent data also shows:
♦990 of approximately 4,500 residents were involved in 2006
with Allegheny County’s Dept. of Human Services, and 226
residents sought help from the county’s Area Agency on Aging;
♦47% of its land is either vacant or owned by the City of Pittsburgh
5
Housing Authority;
♦171 households (or 8.7% of total households) receive Section 8
rent subsidies;
♦Of 209 property sales between April 2007 and April 2008, 136
involved the city Housing Authority, the city Treasurer’s office,
or the county Sheriff’s office;
♦91 properties originated 10 or more 9-1-1 calls in 2006, many
of them in the Penn Avenue commercial district;
♦Garfield & Bloomfield ranked in the top 15 of 88 city neighborhoods in the number of reported crimes for 2007;
Project/Program Narrative
A 17-member board of directors steers the BGC in its policy-setting,
strategic planning, and annual evaluation of its programs, activities, and services.
A staff of 6 full-time and 5 part-time employees, complemented by several parttime independent contractors, is responsible for implementation of the board’s
agenda on a day-to-day basis, including the NPP plan. Collectively, the board
ensures adherence to program criteria that defines participant eligibility, and sets
operational guidelines, best practices, and measures of success in all NPP program
areas. The specific details, as they apply to each major program area, follow:
A. Improvement to Physical Conditions in the Garfield and Friendship
Residential Areas
Objective: Eliminate blight, enforce property codes, and assemble vacant
properties for potential future development or for acquisition by
private parties in the Garfield neighborhood;
Specific activities:
1) Identify and secure resources from city for demolition of 10-12
vacant houses annually.
6
2) Organize at least 1 tour annually of badly-blighted blocks by city
and county code officials to correct serious violations.
3) Identify 10 to 15 strategic, vacant, tax-delinquent properties
annually, and enlist support from the city in banking them for
future development, or for acquisition by private parties for reuses consistent with theneighborhoods’ plans.
4) Work with representatives from city’s Bureau of Building
Inspection to identify 10 to 12 severely-deteriorated houses
annually, and target them for condemnation and eventual
demolition.
B. Development of Affordable For-Sale & Rental Housing in Garfield
Objective: Continue with program to build or renovate up to 20 for-sale
homes by 2018, and plan for the construction in Garfield of up to
30 new rental houses every 3 years for rent to low-to-moderate
income households.
Specific activities:
1) Complete construction of at least 4 new homes annually in
Garfield, and sell them primarily to low-to-moderate income
buyers.
2) Prepare plans and assemble financing for renovation of at
least 3-single-family or duplex houses in Garfield annually,
in partnership with other non-profit organizations, to be sold
upon their completion to eligible buyers.
3) Finish construction of $12 million townhouse development in
Garfield by spring 2013 for rent to 45 working-class households.
4) Secure $8.4 million in construction financing necessary to build
by 2015 at least 30 townhomes or apartments in the target area
for rent to working-class households.
7
5) Develop and make refinements to plans created by CMU School of
Architecture for construction of a new prototype for single-family,
energy-efficient homes in Garfield.
5) Host at least one day-long seminar, in conjunction with a local
bank and Neighborworks Pittsburgh (a housing counseling
Agency), to educate interested residents in the requirements for
becoming first-time homebuyers.
C. Revitalization of the Penn Avenue/Butler St. Commercial Districts
Objective: Continue efforts begun 30 years ago to eliminate blighting
influences along an 11-block stretch of the Penn Avenue
business district by creating opportunities for new investment.
Specific activities:
1) Lead a multi-neighborhood team in planning, with the city, the
investment of $12 million in two phases to rebuild the public
infrastructure in the Penn Avenue commercial district by 2018.
2) Sustain a steady flow of investment by private parties in the
building stock of the commercial district, driven by direct technical
assistance and by the management of an arts district on Penn.
3) Manage a Neighborhood Improvement District (NID) in the
commercial corridor to promote a clean, safe, and green
environment that heightens its appeal and builds pride.
4) Minimize the influence of nuisance bars or clubs in the districts by
vetting the awarding or renewal of state-issued liquor licenses.
D. Operation and Support for Programs that Assist Low-Income Children
Objective: Aid up to 300 low-income children in the target area in achieving
educational success, good physical health, and strong, pro-social behaviors.
Specific activities:
1) Operate after-school and summer academic programs for
8
60 children in danger of failing in their public education.
2) Collaborate with health care institutions in providing
diagnostic services and wellness education annually to 125
public school kids.
3) Support efforts by other non-profit or volunteer groups to
recruit 140 low-income kids into their own recreation or
developmental programs.
E. Operation of Employment Programs for Youths and Adults
Objective: Provide a means for residents of Garfield and adjoining
neighborhoods to improve their economic standing in the
community by increasing their access to gainful employment.
Specific activities:
1) Operate year-round employment initiatives for at least
45 low-income teens and young adults, and provide summer
job placements for another 40 young people.
2) Provide management support to the Eastside Neighborhood
Employment Center in offering employment placement
services to at least 250 young people and adults.
3) Assist developers in hiring at least 15 laborers from the target
area for publicly-funded construction projects.
F. Community Engagement and Leadership Development
Objective: Ensure that the process by which change occurs in the community
engages residents, business owners, and other stakeholders, and
inspires them to act as leaders.
Specific activities:
1) Retain the long-term identity of the BGC as a community
organization with a defined membership, and with a majority of
its board drawn from the neighborhoods it serves.
9
2) Publish a monthly newspaper and mail it to all of the households
in Garfield, Lawrenceville Bloomfield, and surrounding
neighborhoods. Sustain an up-to-date Website and blog.
3) Use a committee structure to involve board members and other
volunteers in setting policy, and guiding and assessing programmatic efforts supported by the NPP.
Community Measures & Outcomes
The outcomes for the project are tied to measurable progress in the
overall revitalization of the target areas, inlcuding the ability of private
institutions and government agencies to better fulfill their roles and obligations
to residents and property owners.
The Neighborhood Partnership Plan offers the target area a serious
opportunity to reshape the behaviors and influences that affect private sector
activity, or the “market”, within the three neighborhoods. Without a healthier
market, it is doubtful that any permanent progress will be made in returning the
economy of these neighborhoods to health, and, just as importantly, their tax
base. Each outcome, in a large or small way, ties back to this core belief.
Outcomes for 2014-18 are broken out in the attached NPP plan
timetable.
Agency Profile
The BGC has worked for 36 years to bring stability, renewal and growth to
the Garfield, Friendship, and Bloomfield neighborhoods, along with the Penn
Avenue corridor that adjoins them. With a staff of 6 full-time and 4 part-time
people, it tackles the physical, economic and social challenges resulting from a
prolonged period of decay out of which the neighborhoods are now emerging.
10
With a blending of advocacy, planning. Development, and service activities,
the BGC attempts to draw residents, business owners, and other stakeholders into
the process of shaping change and growth.
Housing and Land Use Committee – Committee members evaluate the
policy and programmatic thrust of the BGC’s real estate development
efforts, and its resulting impact on the community. It will guide the BGC’s
participation in re-doing the neighborhood plan for Garfield in 2009. The
BGC’s Executive Director, Deputy Director, and Assistant to the Deputy
Director serve as staff to this committee.
Communicatons & Marketing Committee – Committee members review the
publication of the BGC’s monthly newspaper, The Bulletin, and operation of
the BGC’s Website, bloomfield-garfield.org, to ensure that communication
and accountability remain strong elements of the BGC’s identity. It also
oversees design of the group’s annual membership brochure, and its mailing
to every household within the organization’s geographical area. The editor
of The Bulletin and the Executive Director serve as staff to this committee.
Youth, Schools and Employment Committee – Committee members review
the organization’s programmatic efforts around the education of children,
and the linkages between that education, or training, and the world of work.
The BGC’s offering of paid internships for young people with area employers,
and after-school and summer academic programs for school-aged kids, is
the province of this committee. It also oversees the BGC’s extensive
interaction with the Eastside Neighborhood Employment Center. The BGC’s
Youth Development Director serves as staff to this committee.
Public Safety Committee – Committee members review policy and activities
related to the operation of the Garfield Public Safety Task Force. The committee signs off on any advocacy efforts which may be needed in response to
city, county, or state actions around law enforcement and the capacity of
11
the criminal justice system to protect the public. The BGC’s Deputy Director
serves as staff to this committee.
Audit & Finance Committee – Committee members oversee the organization’s financial record-keeping and reporting systems to ensure compliance
with generally-accepted accounting principles. It interacts with the BGC’s
auditors and accounting consultant. It also reviews the BGC’s ability to
fund its operations on an on-going basis, maintain its assets, and tightly
manage debt and other liabilities. The BGC’s Executive Director and Office
Manager serve as staff to this committee.
Executive/Personnel Committee – This committee consists of the executive
officers of the board, the Executive Director, and, when necessary, the
Deputy Director. It exists to oversee the succession plan for the organization, annual evaluation of the Executive Director, revisions to the BGC’s
personnel policies manual, and the handling of any grievances or disciplinary matters brought before it by the Executive Director. It is also
charged with the investigation of any alleged wrongdoing by staff or
board member(s).
To assist with implementation of this project, the BGC also relies on ad
hoc committees, including:
The Penn Avenue Corridor Phasing Plan Committee – Community
members from Garfield, Friendship, and Lawrenceville, together with
representatives from city agencies and state officeholders, comprise this
body. It met monthly for 3 years (2006-2009). It is now scheduled to meet
quarterly in 2012-18.
The Penn Avenue Arts Initiative – Jointly administered by the BGC
and Friendship Development Associates, the PAAI relies on a committee
structure to set policy for marketing the commercial district, administering
a loan and grant fund for artists who invest in buildings, and determining
12
sites for possible public art projects.
Collaborations
The Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation has long advocated for non-profit
organizations to work together, whenever possible, to promote neighborhood
preservation and development. Since 1998, it has shared funds with non-profit
partners in order to enlist their skills and networks that, consequently, do not need
to be re-created within the BGC. The following summary groups them by program
area:
Housing Development & Land Use Activities
Partnering agencies: Garfield Jubilee Association, Open Hand
Ministries, Pittsburgh Housing Development Corporation, the Urban
Redevelopment Authority, PA Housing Finance Agency, S & A Homes,
Habitat for Humanity.
The BGC will rely on these groups to help shoulder the duties of qualifying
homebuyers, identifying optimal sites for development, managing general
contractors, analyzing market data and trends, assembling financing,
developing community consensus on refinements to long-term neighborhood plans, and locating other resources and expertise to meet objectives.
Penn Avenue Commercial District Revitalization
Partnering agencies: Friendship Development Associates, City of
Pittsburgh Public Works Department, Pittsburgh Police Bureau, PA Liquor Control
Enforcement Bureau, Urban Redevelopment Authority.
The involvement of these groups will be essential to setting forth priorities for investment in the public infrastructure, purchasing and develop-
13
ing distressed properties, analyzing market trends, recruiting new
firms to the district, and minimizing nuisance uses and criminal behaviors.
Public Safety and Environmental Advocacy/Greening
Partnering Agencies: Pittsburgh Police Bureau, Allegheny County
District Attorney’s Office, Housing Authority of Pittsburgh, Allegheny
County Adult and Juvenile Probation, City of Pittsburgh Weed ‘N Seed
Office, City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Building Inspection, Allegheny County
Health Dept., Friendship Development Associates, Garfield Community
Farm, Healcrest Urban Farm, Lawrenceville Corporation.
The role of most of these groups revolves around working with the BGC
under the umbrella of its Public Safety Task Force. Information is shared
monthly in a confidential environment, and strategies developed to counter
criminal behaviors, neglected properties, or trends that threaten to upend
the quality of life in the target area. Periodic “sweeps” by public officials of
problematic areas or blocks are organized at Task Force meetings. The task
force tracks high-profile prosecutions, and monitors petitions by felons
for early release from prison, constituting but a few of the many actions
taken by this network.
The BGC provides back-office support to groups and individuals who wish to
reclaim abandoned lots for re-use as farms, gardens, sideyards, and
parklets. Lawrenceville United has assumed a similar role in the
Lawrenceville neighborhood, and undertakes its own greening projects.
After-School/Summer Academic Programs for Low-Income Children
Partnering agencies: Neighborhood Learning Alliance (formerly Wireless
Neighborhoods), United Way of Allegheny County, Pittsburgh Public Schools,
Family Resources, Inc., West Penn Hospital, Allegheny Intermediate Unit.
14
The working relationship between the BGC and these partners will center
on establishing goals and objectives for after-school and summer programs,
aligning the their curriculum content with that of the Pittsburgh Public
Schools, agreeing on outreach strategies to boost participation, and outside
evaluation of the relative success or failure of each initiative. Partners such
as Wireless are instrumental in securing funds from state, United Way, and
various foundation sources to support the BGC’s efforts in this area.
Adult and Youth Employment
Partnering Agencies: Eastside Neighborhood Employment Center,
Neighborhood Learning Alliance, City of Pittsburgh Job Training Partnership
Office, Youthworks, Inc., West Penn Allegheny Health System, BNY Mellon
Foundation, Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board, Lawrenceville
United.
While the BGC is in its 16th year of providing employment placements for
young people between the ages of 16 and 21, it will depend heavily on these
partners to create a continuum of services and employment opportunities
for adults over the next 6 years. The BGC is the administrator for the
Eastside Neighborhood Employment Center, located at 5321 Penn Avenue in
Garfield. The ENEC coordinates all adult employment training and placement
programming. The BGC has also nurtured special relationships with health
care providers and banks, together with other local private employers and
non-profit organizations, to accept placements of its young people in jobs.
15