Charlise Smith knows the critical housing challenges Pittsburgh and Allegheny County residents can face. She created a nonprofit organization — Willissae’s Agency for Vision and Empowerment, or WAVE — to help them.

Building on its early years, her organization has developed a “more robust and comprehensive plan after serving 692 families last year.” That effort took resources, and for the past two years Smith has received help from Duquesne Light Co.’s Community Impact Grants. The program recognizes and awards diverse grassroots community organizations in Allegheny and Beaver counties with microgrants of up to $10,000 to support efforts in environmental justice, education and social equity.

WAVE received two consecutive $10,000 grants, and that money has helped it provide rental assistance to low- and moderate-income families who seek the East Liberty nonprofit’s help. Smith and her eight-person staff offer counseling, workshops and education sessions, as well as an advocacy and community engagement effort to empower tenants, she said.

Duquesne Light launched the CIG program in April 2021 to support small nonprofit organizations making lasting positive impacts in the community according to a news release. Since its inception, the program has awarded more than $600,000 to nearly 100 local organizations, about 85% of which are led by diverse people. In 2023, Duquesne Light funded 38 unique projects focusing on food access, reforestation and green spaces, access to technology, and refugee assistance. Grants helped applicants with projects focusing on science, technology, engineering, arts and math education and more.

Interested organizations can apply online through Aug. 5 for this year’s cycle. 

“As an essential service provider, one of DLC’s core values that guides us each and every day is community. We continually invest in initiatives that enhance the quality of life for those we serve,” Angela Feldbauer, DLC’s manager of environmental, social and governance and corporate giving, said in a news release. “This program has enabled DLC to deepen our relationships with diverse grassroot nonprofits across our service territory, and we’re honored to stand alongside those organizations once again and continue serving as a trusted partner in the Pittsburgh region.”

Smith has a background in real estate, reaching back to 2002, so she knows the business side well. That helped her develop WAVE, which helped her move on to the “people side.”  That started with individual counseling and monthly workshops and education sessions, and linking residents to important resources that can help them obtain affordable and safe housing.

She said a housing crisis exists in Pittsburgh and the county, something that has grown over the past two years. WAVE still offers workshops on home ownership, but because of the financial difficulties many families face, it has focused more on rental assistance, particularly with a pre-rental counseling approach. Support has focused on financial education, tenant advocacy and life skills training, too, for families.

Charlise Smith, WAVE executive director. (Courtesy of WAVE)

Smith said WAVE’s business plan has a specific mission. “By equipping families with the knowledge, skills and resources they need, we aim to break the cycle of housing insecurity and create a foundation for sustainable growth and development,” she explained.

Four key initiatives form that plan: Assisting New Communities in Housing and Occupancy Readiness, providing comprehensive pre-rental counseling and financial planning to help families secure and maintain quality housing; Rental Education and Navigation Training, offering detailed education on lease agreements, financial planning, tenant rights and effective landlord communication to ensure successful tenancy; Valuing Our Inclusive Community Engagement, advocating for tenant rights, providing personalized support and fostering community engagement to empower tenants; and Recognizing Everything Ain’t Done Yet, delivering holistic support – including health coaching, life skills training and financial empowerment – to prepare families for successful tenancy and financial stability. 

Smith said the most common issue people face who reach out to WAVE is financial. She and her staff show them how all the rest of their lives are affecting and causing that and holding them back. WAVE’s overall goal, she said, is explaining, “We are not here to enable you but to transform your life to be truly sustainable.”

The staff works with clients as long as needed, but the typical time for assistance is eight to 12 months.  

Smith understands the difficulties and trauma people can face when their housing is insecure and complicated by other issues. The idea for the nonprofit started after she was stabbed five times while she worked as a housing regional manager in October 2012, according to the WAVE website. A severely distraught tenant who suffered from mental health issues attacked her while being evicted.

Her physical wounds healed, but Smith had to face emotional wounds that stretched back to her childhood. Her mother was brutally murdered in front of her when she was 3. That healing process led her back to serving people and their communities, the website explained, and WAVE is named in honor of her mother.

Loss has continued to follow her. Her 35-year-old son, Marcus Christian, died in October 2021. He had worked as WAVE’s first housing counselor, she said. His photograph is featured on the agency’s website.

KDKA-TV recognized Smith and her agency in an April 2023 “Sunday Spotlight,” featuring how it helped a woman facing a problem pregnancy and being unable to work in the short- and long term.

This year’s Duquesne Light CIG program will once again fund efforts in environmental justice, education and social equity, specifically: community gardens, park upgrades and restorations, and climate resilience; K-12 education in the areas of STEAM, access or increased access to technology and equipment for educational programming or capacity building; and housing, racial equality, refugee assistance and access to food for historically disenfranchised communities.

To be considered for a microgrant, organizations must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit or state equivalent, or an organization receiving fiscal sponsorship from a registered 501(c)(3) or state equivalent serve residents in Allegheny and/or Beaver counties; and have an annual operating budget equal to or less than $500,000 and/or a specific targeted project. 

Duquesne Light’s Charitable Giving program guidelines are listed in the program’s FAQs. Funding should not be used for capital campaigns or overhead expenses including rent, employee salaries, insurance or utility support, according to the news release.

All applications will be reviewed by a DLC employees committee, and final decisions will be made within six weeks of the submission deadline.

Smith is grateful to the help the Duquesne Light and all the other partners WAVE has worked with have provided, but she knows the need for residents seeking housing financial assistance will only grow. So she, her staff and board continue the search for grants and revenue to add staff and resources to handle that increase. And they push advocacy to make real change regarding housing issues in the region and beyond.

The most satisfying part for her? “Helping transform the mindset of families, giving them a new perspective of what life can truly look like for them,” Smith said. “That’s huge for me.”

To learn more about the program and application process, visit DuquesneLight.com/CIG.

Helen is a copy editor at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but she's currently on strike. Contact her at hfallon@unionprogress.com.

Helen Fallon

Helen is a copy editor at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but she's currently on strike. Contact her at hfallon@unionprogress.com.