AMACHI PITTSBURGH’S NEW “HERE4U” BUS.
by Maia Williams
For New Pittsburgh Courier
For 20 years, Amachi Pittsburgh has supported children and families disproportionately impacted by parental incarceration. Now, the organization is taking its services directly to neighborhoods with its new “HERE4U” mobile unit, a retrofitted bus equipped to serve as a traveling hub for mentorship, workshops and family support.
Pittsburgh’s Black community is disproportionately affected by incarceration. While the county is less than 15 percent Black, in 2024, 65 percent of the Allegheny County Jail population was Black, according to data provided by the county.
Amachi launched the bus to better reach communities classified as high-need by the Allegheny County Department of Human Services.
“In recent years, it just became more of a pressing need for us to get out and meet people where they are, rather than having them find us,” said Anna Hollis Kander, executive director of Amachi, in an exclusive interview with the New Pittsburgh Courier.
The bus serves as both a learning hub and meeting space, offering services inside and outside the bus depending on the weather. “We can host mentoring sessions, workshops, support groups, pass out resources, whatever our families need,” said Kander.
So far, the colorful bus has visited the Mon Valley area. “We do 16 weeks in the communities, and we started out in the Mon Valley,” said Ryan McNeil, community outreach coordinator. “Having a bus in the community, the kids love it and they call it the fun bus.”
McNeil says residents have shared the need for more resources, transportation options, and youth programming.
To celebrate the launch of the HERE4U bus, Amachi is hosting a block party on Saturday, July 26, at the Woodland Hills Impact Center from 12 to 5 p.m. “We’ll invite other providers to come and set up tables to provide resources, and we’re just going to have a fun day to educate the community about who we are and the services that we provide,” said Kander.
“We’re going to have refreshments, music, games, and vendors. The bus is going to be right in the center of the blacktop of the Woodland Hills Impact Center,” added McNeil.
Amachi also focuses on helping youth recognize and cope with the emotional impact of parental incarceration. They do this through the sanctuary model, which provides psycho-education and trauma-based frameworks. “What we found is that often in these communities, people deal with so many layers of complex issues,” Kander said. “It’s embedded in the communities that they live in and so children are predisposed to high stress and trauma at a young age.”
To address those challenges creatively, Amachi offers virtual reality experiences as a learning tool to teach resilience and coping strategies. “The VR units are loaded with software that channels adventures that help people escape the everyday stressors and things they’re dealing with,” said Kander.
Some of the virtual reality experiences include swimming with dolphins, touring a museum, or riding a roller coaster.
Kander says she wants the children to understand what it means to live a fulfilling life and name the experience they are having. “Being made aware of racial disparities in the criminal justice system and how those disparities persist, how those disparities come about, is arming our young people and our families with information that they can use to avert falling into those traps,” she said.
McNeil says he hopes the children will understand that they are more than their circumstances. “They are going through these unfortunate circumstances that’s not their fault. There’s opportunities and there’s creative spaces. I want kids to really tap into their creativity.”
To support that vision, Amachi has offered photography classes and will launch a “Heart and Healing” wellness program on July 14 to help youth express their feelings through art.
Kander has found fulfillment in the children’s development throughout her 20-year tenure with Amachi. “To see them grow and evolve and become more confident, strong, resilient, empowered and motivated to uncover their greatness is just the best,” she said.
Amachi has partnered with many organizations including Mon Valley Initiative, Woodland Hills Impact Center, and Houze of Waxx. “We want to literally collaborate. How can we provide assistance for youth and for other community centers, libraries and organizations like that in the areas,” said McNeil. Amachi offers one-on-one mentoring for youth ages 6 to 18. “We just want the community to know we’re here for you,” Kander told the Courier. “We really mean it and we gave it that name on purpose.”