Second round of Hear Foundation grants aims to create positive connections between community and Pittsburgh police

Pittsburgh police Sgt. Tiffany Kline-Costa had just returned from a very long vacation at the end of February, more than a little tired from all her travels, and she had 20 grant proposals to review that nonprofit organizations had submitted to the Hear Foundation.

She’s a board member for the nearly year-old organization, and Kline-Costa leads the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Community Engagement Office. The grants energized her, she said, and just blew her away.

“It was so inspiring to see the work [put into the applications],” Kline-Costa said. “Some of the applicants already partner with the Pittsburgh police, so I knew them. But there were so many new faces to see in the process, which was so exciting.”

The board’s grant committee had a difficult time, she said, narrowing it down to 15 microgrants that totaled $200,000. A majority of those recipients came together for a celebratory news conference and networking event on Thursday, held at the Jeron X. Grayson Community Center in the Hill District. This is the second series of grant awards for the Hear Foundation, co-founded last year by Leon Ford, who received a $5.5 million settlement from the city after he was shot and paralyzed by a police officer in a case of mistaken identity in 2012, and former Pittsburgh police Chief Scott Schubert.

Kamal Nigam, the foundation’s executive director, said these grants follow a plan that focuses on two areas: first, connecting youth and adults affected by trauma and gun violence to critical resources, opportunities and a network of sustained support; and second, increasing the effectiveness of community policing in practice.  

“We are committed to not doing that work in isolation,” he said, “but instead by growing a strong network of care and collaboration, with community leaders and police working together to create peace, safety and security in Pittsburgh.”

Prior to this second round of awards, Nigam said the foundation gathered extensive community feedback of just how it should engage in public safety in Pittsburgh. “We believe that by creating authentic, trusting relationships between residents and police, we have the power to work together and solve our communities’ most persistent public safety challenges.”

Kline-Costa pointed to A’s Vision project of getting 20 to 25 young people their driver’s licenses with assistance from Zone 3 Pittsburgh police officers as one of her favorites.

“That’s the one that made me smile the most,” she said. “Once you have a driver’s license, your life changes. The world is at your fingertips.”

Kline-Costa said she knows from personal experience with her own children the challenges young people can face in getting that license. Peril exists, as well, in driving illegally. Once caught and cited, young people and their families can’t afford the fines, sending them into a financial spiral.

She also sees a trickle-down effect of the grant. “It’s building relationships with police,” Kline-Costa said. “Leon and I talk often, and first, we want to also talk to them about how to safely handle a traffic stop. Traffic stops are the second most dangerous situations for police officers. So it’s a win-win for all of us.”

Aaron Wade founded A’s Vision in memory of his 16-year-old son, also named Aaron, who was shot and killed, and its goal is to mentor city youth ages 16 to 22 and teach them critical life skills, such as obtaining those licenses, and it just added a financial component, he told the crowd at the center. It began operations in March 2019.

“I appreciate the opportunity,” he said. “It will help a lot of youth.”

He said he has volunteers who teach driving skills to the students, including one licensed driving instructor. To date, Wade said, 30 to 35 young people have obtained their driver’s licenses.

Ford prefaced recipients’ short speeches that introduced their organizations and their projects with a reminder that the foundation is the result of community leaders, Pittsburgh police and residents “leaning in” and building this network of nonprofits and community organizations receiving the second round of microgrants. “The media will tell you this can’t happen,” he said. “But we’re defying the odds.

“I recognize we have many issues in our city,” Ford said. “[I believe] Together we can get it done. This is just one step in the process.”

In addition to A’s Vision, which is based in Homestead, the other 2023 microgrant recipients are:

Artist Talk: An art and performance event series centered around mental health, Artist Talk will bring mental health conversations to the forefront with artists from all mediums, including visual artists, photographers and musicians, sharing the stories behind some of their most personal work and performances. This Artist Talk event will connect with six police officers who have an arts background and who use their art as a vital coping source during difficult times in their careers. To assist with breaking barriers, this experience will offer an opportunity for open dialogue between police officers and the communities they serve.

“Brunch With a Black Man”: Led by 1Hood Media, “Brunch With a Black Man” is a video series that uses narrative storytelling and trauma-informed care to encourage Black men to holistically address issues related to trauma, mental health and violence to lead healthy productive lives. This grant will continue this series, including two episodes that feature Black male police officers.

Building Black Wealth: This program is led by the Trade Institute of Pittsburgh, a vocational training provider dedicated to providing opportunities for individuals re-entering society following incarceration, those chronically underemployed, those struggling with addiction, and others who need support to get their lives on track. In this project, TIP will build community and reduce violence and recidivism by developing robust alumni services and community engagement program and by implementing holistic case management support.

Creating Connections: Igniting the Power of Coaches as Everyday Mentors: Led by the Mentoring Partnership of Southwestern PA, this program will train local youth football coaches from Garfield Youth Sports and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Youth Athletic Initiative with Creating Connections, a national training program that helps caring adults leverage everyday moments and be intentional in offering mentor-like support to the young people in their lives; and Youth Mental Health First Aid, helping adults recognize the signs that a young person may be struggling with mental health challenges and highlighting their role in offering positive support and connection to professional resources when needed.

Northway East Liberty Ministry Hub – Teen Café: North Way Christian Community will build out a teen street-level cafe that will be open weekdays from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. For the first hour, police officers, mental health counselors and community members will spend time in the cafe, playing games, participating in activities and creating positive interactions with the teens of East Liberty. The Hub will also offer STEM and Art programs, homework help, group and individual counseling, Zone 5 youth connections, and career development with guest speakers and volunteers in the community.

HOPE for Tomorrow 2023 Summer Camp: This seven-week summer camp serves youth in the West End of Pittsburgh and provides a safe and structured environment for approximately 60 children in first through eighth grades and 25 high school and college students. Campers are empowered to achieve academic excellence, nurture their minds and bodies, and develop relationships with those they may not have had access to in the past, including program providers, mental health specialists and the Pittsburgh police. Organizers will work closely with the Pittsburgh Police Community Engagement Office to build trust and break down barriers between youth and police. Throughout the year, officers volunteer to tutor and mentor campers, lead the Common Threads cooking class, and engage students during recreation time.

Imagine Further Collective 2023 Workshop Series: Imagine Further will expand its preventative mental health services to two new after-school and summer camp programs in the city of Pittsburgh. IFC workshops include lectures, dialogue and experiential exercises to teach an overview of mental health, trauma and stress, how to build strong support systems, identify healthy coping skills and nurture resiliency. Finally, participants work in teams to identify an injustice in their community and partner with Pittsburgh police officers to create a project to address their identified injustice.

Increasing Our Region’s Capacity to Heal Trauma Through Training: Led by Awaken Pittsburgh, this program will bring in nationally renowned PTSD and trauma healing training to better equip local clinicians and community workers to support those most affected by violence in the region, including first responders and community members. Due to the current shortages and stigma, neither community members nor first responders have access to state-of-the-art care and therapeutic resources. This program will run a three-day “train the trainer” Tactical Resiliency Process and Emotions Management Process to 30 therapists and other community leaders who work to support those impacted by trauma. Training will be led by retired U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class (E-7) and Deputy Sheriff Dan Jarvis, who has developed TRP. Clinicians trained will then provide 240 free sessions to local first responders and community members.

Performing History/Autobiography in Progress: Led by Duquesne University Elsinore Bennu Think Tank for Restorative Justice, this course brings together returning and incarcerated citizens, community members, university students, faculty and police officers in order to find common ground through the humanities. Every session becomes a spoken word performance, bringing together those who would not normally be in the same room with theater as the shared space to work toward police justice. This grant will implement an ongoing program of evaluation and development that will allow the team to understand the effectiveness of the program and implement improvements.

Prevent Another Crime Today: The PACT Initiative originated from the homicide of Robert Dixon, son of PACT Executive Director Val Dixon, in 2001. This grant will support PACT’s Family Action Network, which works to honor, support, educate and guide families impacted by violence (specifically homicides). FAN delivers training that assists families who wish to share their stories and experiences with youth programs, schools, community centers, churches and more, providing audiences with a clear picture of what trauma looks like and how crime impacts individuals, families and communities. Participants receive an assessment of their current needs, and families will be provided with wraparound services to ensure they are prepared to execute the work ahead of them. Families will commit to attending community meetings with law enforcement and community members.

Team 412 Boxing: A program of Pittsburgh National Youth Boxing, Team 412 Boxing is an athletic youth program founded to allow under-resourced Pittsburgh city youth to succeed through boxing, education and community. They are the city’s only members of the National Police Athletic organization. They participate under the umbrella of USA Boxing and have several Olympics track-level boxers. One of their coaches, Aaron Allen, is a Pennsylvania State Police officer, and 412 Boxing regularly holds events with police engagement.

Unity Camp: Through the Unity Camp Project, Ozanam is building upon a partnership with Pittsburgh police to strengthen relationships with youth and community while nurturing resiliency and prosocial skills that contribute positively to their development. In 2021, Ozanam partnered with Pittsburgh police and Manchester residents to develop and implement a pilot program to promote nonviolence and foster relationships between community, youth and Pittsburgh police officers. Building upon this success, Ozanam will continue the program in Manchester and replicate the success in the Hill District while also adding social-emotional learning components to the camp, serving 80 youth across the two locations.

Youth Connections: A project of the Pittsburgh Police Community Engagement Office to connect Pittsburgh police officers with Pittsburgh Public Schools students in their ninth grade civics classes, Youth Connections nurtures relationships between Pittsburgh police officers and Pittsburgh youth through regular and consistent bimonthly visits to high school classrooms, engaging approximately 600 students at six Pittsburgh high schools. Officers present information about how to safely interact with police, what to expect during a traffic stop, legal standards for use-of-force situations, homicide investigations, crime scene analysis and more. The second visit each month is purely focused on relationship building. This grant will provide food and supplies for the program.

Youth Voices: A youth leadership program initiated by The Center that Cares, Youth Voices focuses on social justice and providing a vibrant youth-driven conduit for catalytic conversations regarding issues facing our youth and community. Twenty youth leaders will oversee the outreach to additional youth, identification of key issues, and the implementation of community conversations. An advisory team consisting of REACH outreach workers, Pittsburgh Police Zone 5, CARES staff, partner community-based organizations and Pittsburgh Public Schools will offer support and resources to guide the project. They will facilitate and run six to seven sessions with an aggregate attendance of 180 youth.