Rooted in the Gospel and the teachings of the Orthodox Church — and inspired by the Civil Rights Movement — the Neighborhood Resilience Project (NRP) supports neighborhood transformations that turn trauma affected communities into healthy, healing, and vibrant places where residents can thrive.
Using a Trauma Informed Community Development (TICD) method, the NRP and its collaborators, evaluate and address a community’s health, wellbeing, and resilience.
NRP programs include a free Healthcare Center, a Trauma Response Team, a Backpack Feeding Program, a highly successful COVID-19 Vaccination Collaborative, and others.
During the pandemic, for example, Black people made up an unequal number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Allegheny County. To change that, the NRP’s group of trained volunteer Community Health Directors (CHDs) — who live in the neighborhoods they serve — worked with Pitt researchers as vaccine ambassadors.
CHDs met with their neighbors one-on-one. They supplied resources, answered questions, educated, and registered people for vaccine trials. After vaccines became available, they got their own shots and helped their neighbors get theirs.
NRP’s efforts have achieved national attention. The organization and its collaborators have trained people in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, other cities in our state, and other cities throughout the country.
The result is a sustainable national learning collaborative with Pittsburgh at the center and a shared vision: To raise up, in unconditional love, people who are suffering from trauma and help them become empowered healers, community builders, and positive change makers.
Learn more about NRP at neighborhoodresilience.org – including stories of resilience.
About Post Author
