Program: Grow

Millvale Ecodistrict Collaborative

The Millvale Ecodistrict represents the work and effort carried out by the Millvale Ecodistrict Collaborative, the Millvale Community, and evolveEA.

The Millvale Ecodistrict Collaborative consists of representatives from the Millvale Community Library, the Borough of Millvale, the Millvale Community Development Corporation (MCDC), and New Sun Rising.  This coordinated team of people and organizations is committed to support and fulfill the Millvale Ecodistrict Plan.

The Millvale Ecodistict is led by In 2012, with the development of the Millvale Ecodistrict Pivot 1.0 Plan, the community came together to tackle three key issue areas: Food because of their status as a food desert, Water due to a frequent history of damaging floods, and Energy due the health and economic benefits.

Three years later, the community had been hard at work collaborating both internally as well as with regional partners and making significant progress on the community’s goals: With over 70% of the goals from the first iteration of their plan complete, the community turned its attention to the future by kicking off Millvale Ecodistrict Pivot 2.0 planning activities. Expanding its focus to Air because of the poor air quality in Allegheny County, Mobility due to lack of infrastructure for multimodal transportation, and Equity which ties the other quality of life priorities together to ensure fairness in access to these quality of life resources.

On October 26th, 2015, over 80 residents and community stakeholders came together to Imagine Millvale.  Through the Millvale Ecodistrict Pivot 2 Plan, the community created the following vision statements which guide development activities:

Grow Sto-Rox

Grow Sto-Rox envisions a safe, healthy and prosperous Sto-Rox community where every resident has the tools, resources, and opportunities to succeed and move from poverty to prosperity. They collaborate with the community, other organizations, and stakeholders to improve the lives of Sto-Rox residents across all social determinants of health.

“We are a collective of organizations who are committed to help Sto-Rox residents build better lives. We believe that poverty can be eradicated, and opportunity gaps can be filled to create an interconnected Sto-Rox community where people can live full lives. We can all experience health, education and economic prosperity. That’s why we use a community-based, trauma informed, strength-based approach and measure outcomes to monitor the health and needs of the community.”

GOALS

  1. Listen to the community
  2. Provide access to resources
  3. Advocate with the community
  4. Collaborate with the community
  5. Fund opportunities and programs

 

STRATEGIC FOCUS AREAS

  1. Identify community needs, serving as an incubator and accelerator for programming led by partners
  2. Connect community to resources & opportunities
  3. Monitor community indicators and collaborate across organizations

 

BACKGROUND

The Sto-Rox community is composed of the racially-diverse, Pittsburgh rust belt communities of Stowe Township and McKees Rocks Borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. In 2014, an Allegheny County Department of Human Services study ranked Sto-Rox as a “Distressed Community”– the highest designation of rural and suburban poverty based on the number of single-mother households, unemployed males, housing vacancy and transportation scarcity. The Sto-Rox School District (SRSD), serving approximately 1,500 students 100% of whom qualify for free-and-reduced price lunch, has historically been one of the lowest performing school districts in Pennsylvania, known for significant gaps in digital access and struggles with charter school competition.

Despite these challenges the Sto-Rox community has many resources: over 10 Early Childhood Educational facilities, 5 Out-of-School (OST) providers, an active Community Development Corporation (MRCDC), revitalizing business and manufacturing bases, and a strong anchor human services organization (FOR) which runs a Community Resource Center and a powerhouse community arts center.

In 2014, when faced with budget and capacity constraints, SRSD called on local organizations to support critical youth and family programming. In response, the McKees Rocks CDC (MRCDC), Focus on Renewal (FOR) and over 15 other local organizations convened to form the “Sto-Rox Youth Partnership,” (SRYP) aimed at improving outcomes for youth and families. The SRSD and community partnered with Communities In Schools Pittsburgh – Allegheny County (CISPAC) to help guide the vision and resources. In 2017, the MRCDC, FOR, SRSD and CISPAC strengthened the efforts of the SRYP by forming an executive level steering committee and identifying key focus areas to support the work happening on the ground.

Concurrently, the McKees Rocks CDC (MRCDC) and Focus on Renewal (FOR) partnered with New Sun Rising (NSR) in 2016 to lead the development of a revisioning and activation plan while more deeply engaging the Sto-Rox community. The plan emphasized the voices and empowerment of stakeholders throughout the process, with special attention to underrepresented citizens. Building upon this research and feedback on the community’s development priorities, NSR, MRCDC, and FOR facilitated the Ignite Sto-Rox startup workshop in 2017 to identify local social entrepreneurs and provided ongoing intensive development support to 10 organizations through the Launch Sto-Rox incubator in 2018. 

Building upon this period of increased collaboration throughout the community, New Sun Rising (NSR) began to meet with stakeholders to identify opportunities for transformational collective impact.  Existing workforce and economic development assets were numerous but disconnected, including: Youth Workforce programs, Adult Workforce programs, plans to establish an “Opportunity Campus”, developing a light manufacturing and coworking space, and most importantly a commitment to prioritize community outreach and engagement to vulnerable residents in all decisions.

In August 2019, the Grow Sto-Rox founding partners first met as a collaborative and committed  to increase their efficacy by fully embracing the tenants of collective impact planning as it works to improve the quality of life of Sto-Rox residents through trauma informed, strength-based programs that improve the equitable economic future of the community. The founding partners acknowledged that this work is not possible without building trust, engaging the community, eliminating locally defined disparities, developing a culture of continuous improvement, and leveraging existing assets.

In acknowledgement of this shared vision and commitment, the Grow Sto-Rox collaborative was accepted into the inaugural year of The Forbes Funds C3 (Catalyst Community Cohort) program in late 2019.  The C3 program provides funding and mentorship that will serve to advance the collaborative’s planning and capacity building efforts as they move towards implementation. GSR offered professional training to community members and providers, then incubated the Affinity Circles program with a goal to break the cycle of generational poverty. During this 8-week cohort, residents learn to address trauma and social-emotional needs by prioritizing individual health & wellbeing and financial literacy, better preparing over 70 people (as of June 2023) to take advantage of opportunities to pursue a thriving wage. 

Another barrier to eliminating poverty is the prevalence of violent crime in Sto-Rox. Statistics from the FBI show that our communities have the worst per capita violent crime rate in Pennsylvania. In response, community partners led by Focus on Renewal are collaborating on three evidence-based models in the development of a Community Violence Reduction Plan.  When the Hay’s Manor public housing development was identified as a potential HUD Choice Neighborhoods Initiative project, community partners mobilized to engage and support residents in their goal of affordable, safe, and healthy living spaces.

TRAUMA INFORMED, STRENGTHS-BASED

The founding partners of the Grow Sto-Rox collaborative believed that the community’s goals can only be achieved by implementing solutions which are Trauma informed and Strengths-based.  Initial activities include training and community engagement on developing these two competencies – as well as systemic racism education.

Trauma informed is realizing that every individual’s experience results in varying levels of trauma that plays a big role in how they respond to everyday interactions.  People develop masks to hide the fact that they are traumatized. In community, these masks manifest in real ways, such as mental health with addiction, indifference in hyper masculinity, and false confidence hiding fear in educators. Trauma-informed approaches allow you to take your own mask off and engage with the real person. Being vulnerable and recognizing that trauma is manifesting in another human being provides people with a different experience, avoiding the reinforcement of their current mental model. Providers must be aware of our own triggers, levels of chronic stress, and ability to avoid escalation by reframing conversations. Dealing with trauma has been relatively absent in our community and is critical for people to move into strengths-based approaches and ultimately, equitable economic growth.

Strengths-based means genuinely getting to know the people that you are working with and valuing that their knowledge and experience can be used to help them reach their goals. Providers, leaders, and peers must develop the ability to truly meet people where they are at – sometimes that can mean admiring people for just showing up. People who are caught in generational poverty are made to feel less important than others. In order to break this cycle we must understand what success looks like to each individual, help them to see their strengths, and build upon them.  People who feel powerless need to be given options and have the opportunity to share how they feel. By facilitating a greater understanding and practice of strengths-based approaches throughout the broader community, Grow Sto-Rox will help to lift the power of individuals in poverty to participate in their own growth. Not by leading, but by following their lead.

 

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The Partnership Network (TPN)

The Partnership Network (TPN) is a group of intermediary funders and/or capacity building organizations working to mobilize the community and economic development sectors in the Pittsburgh region. TPN creates the conditions for change by solving complex community challenges at the macro, meso, and micro levels of our communities. Partner organizations include Grounded Strategies, Neighborhood Allies, NeighborWorks Western Pennsylvania, PACE, and New Sun Rising.

Collectively, TPN is focused on building capacity for community leaders to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). TPN members, and as a collective group, work at both the organization and resident-level with a commitment to being people-centered in their work. In order to achieve this goal the members have agreed to the implement the following practices which are critical to how they will manage their intra-network relationships and expectations:

  • Aligning resources
  • Creating transparency
  • Articulating shared outcomes

Read more from TPN members:

Brown Mamas

What started out as a group of moms meeting in a living room has grown into a community of over 6400 Black moms in the Pittsburgh region, and over 10,000 moms nationally.

That day in early summer, a few women gathered to talk about their common struggles and joys in raising Black children. Muffy was at the tail end of fighting postpartum depression and felt she’d found her tribe. The small gathering transformed to a Facebook group where moms could vent, ask for support and find each other.  That Facebook group grew into programs that support the social and emotional needs of mothers.  The stories spilling out of these interactions built a stage where moms can liberate themselves by sharing their stories with the masses through the Brown Mama Monologues.

Today, Brown Mamas is so much more than a group of moms.  It is a testament to their original idea that making moms better moms, makes dads better dads, children become better adults and, ultimately, communities become better communities.

Donate Here

Contact Us
hello@brownmamas.com

RiverWise

RiverWise is a newly launched initiative in Beaver County focused on using our rivers and their surrounding communities as wisely as possible. At the heart of this work is a concerted effort to organize stakeholders to dream, learn, and collaborate about the future of our rivers. We are encouraging this process in two ways. First, we are forming ecodistricts in three communities (Aliquippa, Monaca, and Beaver Falls). Second, we are conducting community assessments in a handful of river facing communities (to be determined) aimed at growing the infrastructure on the rivers, creating access to the rivers, and generating meaningful connections between the rivers and the communities through which they flow.

It’s been an exciting first year for RiverWise and its growing list of partners. We’ve learned, dreamed, and collaborated together about the future of our region. We’ve set in place some very exciting projects. And we’ve bolstered relationships born out of shared vision and purpose. Take a look at this year-end retrospective of the work of our partners.

Watch the RiverWise Year One Video

The Future of Petrochemicals in Western Pennsylvania – A Community Perspective

Three weeks ago, on October 30, 2019, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto publicly announced his opposition to additional petrochemical development in Western Pennsylvania. Responses to the Mayor’s comments were substantial and swift, quickly generating the kind of polarization that has become all too familiar in public discourse about important and contentious topics.

To date, the vast majority of voices speaking into this matter have come from outside of Beaver County, home to the most substantial petrochemical buildout in Western Pennsylvania. When Beaver County voices have been present in this conversation, little attention has been paid to the complex issues faced by community members who are most affected by regional decision making. This document seeks to widen the terms of the ongoing conversation, bringing to bear insight gained from working alongside more than fifty community organizations and several hundred residents who are seeking wisely to navigate the quickly changing landscape that is Beaver County.

Make no mistake: Beaver County is forging a new path for our future. We are embracing competence and vision, moving toward wisdom, and enacting principled change. Continue reading…

Beltzhoover Institute for Arts & Sciences

“Through science, we shall know it to be correct; through art, we shall know it to be beautiful”

 

The South Hilltop Men’s Group is a non-profit project of New Sun Rising, directed by Beltzhoover native, Jmar Bey. Their mission is to promote environmental protection through community training programs that use sustainable practices. With a broader goal to create hope and opportunity for those who have none. Since 2015, the South Hilltop Men’s Group has been working to support the responsible and inclusive revitalization of Beltzhoover.

BIAS Beltzhoover Institute for Arts & Sciences Byte-Sized Data Story Report 02.2025 - FINAL (1)

 

In order to address widespread problems like blight and abandonment, lack of resources, and excessive unemployment while preserving and developing assets within the community, New Sun Rising and the South Hilltop Men’s Group acquired 600 Beltzhoover Ave on November 1, 2019 to become the eventual Beltzhoover Institute of Arts & Sciences.  The proposed renovation will be led by the South Hilltop Men’s Group, creating a hub for revitalization and local jobs while addressing environmental issues. Allegheny County Economic Development has approved a $250,000 CITF grant. City of Pittsburgh $100,000 NIF, and Federal Community Project Funding Grant of $428,064 to support the initial phase of work.

The building is strategically located along Beltzhoover Avenue, a major artery that connects McKinley Park and Emerald View Park, serving as a hub for learning, training, and creativity and connecting related projects along an eco-corridor. To support work in combating blight the project will be anchored by two departments: the Wangari Maathai Environmental Laboratory and an Art Studio. Together, these departments will provide space and opportunities for residents to become engaged in the revitalization of the community.

The Wangari Maathai Environmental Laboratory will provide space for equipment, research, and education on urban environmental topics, focusing on green space management. The Laboratory is named after Wangari Maathai, who became the first African woman and first environmentalist to receive a Nobel Peace prize. Maathai studied at the University of Pittsburgh and later founded the Green Belt Movement, which creates employment to combat deforestation through sustainable practices. The Laboratory will be located on the same block as the Lots of Pride experimental research garden. This project is actively testing various methods for soil remediation using sustainable, low-cost techniques. The strategically located site provides outdoor practical research space that will be supported by the Laboratory.

In addition to the laboratory and art studio, this building will feature green infrastructure and sustainable technologies which will also serve as educational tools, as the building itself will be transformed into a living classroom. For example, a rooftop greenhouse will be used to incubate plants for the various neighborhood community gardens. Stormwater will be captured for irrigation and cleaning on the property. A 2,000 gallon fish tank will display Pennsylvania’s native fish species and spread awareness about the importance of wildlife management. Solar energy will be used to power lighting or other equipment. Mesh networking will be used to provide free internet access to project participants and local residents. All of these various components serve multiple purposes with education and awareness at the heart of it all.

The importance of this project isn’t just about rehabbing a building. The importance of this project is about resurrecting a neighborhood and bringing hope to a broken community. This building serves as a metaphoric symbol of our neighborhood. Battered and blighted it stands as one of the last commercial buildings left, in a once beautiful and proud area. A once happy community full of friendly people and thriving businesses. A safe place for children with a good school and good neighbors. The kind of place to raise a family in.

 

District PGH

Our region faces urgent challenges which cannot be solved by any singular entity.

District PGH is a network of local organizations working to accelerate neighborhood and district-scale sustainable development that promotes climate resilience and equity in the greater Pittsburgh region. District PGH works with communities, professionals, and academics to research and assess, scale adoption of projects and initiatives, advocate for resources and policy, and organize convenings that forward the practice of ecodistricts in our region.
In late 2022, District PGH members New Sun Rising, Green Building Alliance, Sustainable Pittsburgh, The Forbes Funds, and evolveEA analyzed the strengths and challenges of our sustainability ecosystem to identify leverage points for systems change. Together we committed to work towards the following goals:
  1. To strengthen the ability of local communities to identify, apply for, manage, and implement sustainability grants
  2. To increase accessibility of sustainability resources and technical assistance
  3. To support the development and communication of regional sustainability narratives

 

The four primary activities that District PGH organizations utilize to accelerate sustainable and equitable development include research, scale, convening, and advocacy.  Learn more about these resources in our Sustainable Communities Guide.

RESEARCH

District PGH will perform assessments and provide research to make the case

that all development should be sustainable development.

 

SCALE

District PGH will provide technical assistance to increase planning initiatives

and for the implementation of sustainable developments.

 

CONVENE

District PGH will promote regional, cross sectorial partnerships and learning

between community members, academics, and professionals.

 

ADVOCATE

District PGH will increase awareness of successful models and advocate

for policy change and investments at the municipal, county, and state level. 

 

 

Day One Project

The Day One Project works to end the cycle of poverty for single parent families by providing housing, education and career support, andcommunity connections so that parents can achieve self-sufficiency and their children can succeed in school.

Black Tech Nation

Black Tech Nation is a budding social good organization aiming to be a voice and an advocate for more black representation in tech. We pride ourselves on being a fun and informative safe space for black tech professionals, or as we like to call ourselves, “black unicorns”, to connect, share, and exchange resources. Our goal is to influence the tech industry to become more diverse and close some of the barriers to entry that plague countless black tech professionals across the country. Through our strategy, “Gather. Connect. Affect.” we plan to make Pittsburgh the model city for true tech inclusion..

Gather: So far we’ve created a personal online network of 150+ black tech professionals, which we plan to grow to 500+ members through various events, heavy outreach, and online & community engagement by March 2018.

Connect: We partner with tech companies and diversity groups alike to create socially conscious work cultures that make everyone, specifically black techies, feel comfortable in typically white, male dominated work spaces. It’s a complicated issue that we’re ready to tackle through purposeful and culturally sensitive programming.

Affect: Thanks to Pittsburgh’s City Council, The Mayor’s office, and some of Pittsburgh’s black elected officials, we’re on our way towards implementing policies around hiring and tax incentives for companies interested in creating diverse workplaces that are inclusive to black tech professionals.

Black Tech Nation is also working with local institutions and Ph.D faculty to conduct research and find data on black tech professionals in our region, including employment numbers, salaries, positions, retention rates, resource pools, and more. This report will be made public by late 2018.

If you or your organization would like to partner with Black Tech Nation in any capacity, email info@blacktechnation.com.

 

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Millvale Food + Energy Hub

The Hub is a mixed-use community, event, and office space.

Whether you’re looking to relax, connect, work, celebrate, or inspire, the Millvale Food + Energy Hub offers multiple public and private spaces to work or play.  Featuring sustainable reclaimed materials and powered by solar energy, the 10,000 sq ft renovated Moose social hall provides a unique place to grab a coffee or sandwich from Lemon Tree, hop on our wifi and get some work done, hold a meeting, volunteer with 412 Food Rescue, socialize with friends, take in a show, perform, or rent for your next business, family or friends event!

What's Happening at the Hub?

Located just across the 40th Street Bridge from Lawrenceville and minutes from the Northside, the Hub is not only in Millvale but serves as home to multiple organizations helping to realize Millvale’s Ecodistrict goals around food and energy, including 412 Food Rescue, Lemon Tree, The Food Trust, FracTracker Alliance, and Royally Fit.  The Hub is a project of New Sun Rising and its wholly owned subsidiary, Moose MODE Inc.

Venue Rental

The Hub offers plenty of space for your remote work or weekday meetings. There are two rooms available for rent to host your next performance, nonprofit or business event, conference, family or friends gathering, baby shower, wedding, or wake. We especially love working with musicians and creatives.

In the Venue Rental Guide, you’ll find additional information about the features, floor plan, rental pricing, and more. We offer Wifi access, break room amenities, and are ADA accessible. Ready to rent? Complete the form below and let us host your next event!

View the Venue Rental Guide

Rent the Millvale Food + Energy Hub

 

Buy One Jar of Angry Man Salsa, Help Feed People in Need

Buy Four Jars of Angry Man Salsa, Help Feed More People in Need

 

Programs

New Sun Rising partners with the Community College of Allegheny County and Triboro Ecodistrict to offer a solar installer certification training program. Participation stipends are available for the 40 hour class. Classes are offered as funding is available.

Complete the Solar Installer Certification Interest Form

 

Tenant Partners

 

Funding + Financing

The Millvale Food + Energy Hub renovation was made possible through the financial support of First National Bank, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Neighborhood Allies, Borough of Millvale, The Heinz Endowments, The Hillman Foundation, Allegheny County Economic Development, United States Federal Community Project Funding, and New Sun Rising.

Focus on Renewal

NSR helped to strengthen the services, programs, and facilities of Focus on Renewal through an Action Plan to support the Sto-Rox community. The consulting project, also supported by the McKees Rocks CDC, included internal stakeholder analysis, scans of previous studies and reports, a community-led survey process, and Vision Labs with domain experts to synthesize findings and inform recommendations.

Photo credit: Will Halim, Storyburgh