Perry Hilltop & Fineview Community Engagement VISTA

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Is connecting with people your thing? Do you agree that residents need to drive development in their community? We invite you to work with us to engage residents in building a stronger community.

In partnership with Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group (PCRG), Fineview and Perry Hilltop Citizens Councils (FCC & PHCC) are seeking an AmeriCorps VISTA (americorps.gov/vista) who will work with us to make positive connections and engage our residents in building an awesome, inclusive community that benefits all of our neighbors, especially our most vulnerable residents. Be a part of developing community in a way that benefits people, not just buildings and property owners. Help raise resident voices and build grassroots power.

As an AmeriCorps VISTA member, you will perform outreach to empower community members-knocking on doors, making phone calls, and meeting with neighbors to link them to resources and our broader neighborhood development work. You will also get to plan and lead events that bring neighbors together for food and fun! To prepare you for this assignment, you will receive official training from the AmeriCorps VISTA program, followed up with on-the-job mentorship in grassroots community organizing and plentiful opportunities to build your professional network.

Desired Qualifications
We are looking team player who is confident, creative, and empathetic to the needs of others. The VISTA must be passionate about building relationships with diverse community members and skilled at connecting people to resources. They should also feel comfortable knocking on doors and making cold calls. Experience in community organizing and event planning is strongly preferred. The ideal candidate would also have existing ties to the community, although this is not an absolute requirement.

Application Instructions
In addition to providing a resume, you must also create an application on the My AmeriCorps Portal and apply to the PCRG - Perry Hilltop & Fineview Community Engagement VISTA listing (my.americorps.gov/mp/listing/viewListing.do?id=80865). For instructions on how to create an application, go to www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps/americorpsvista/start-your-application . If you have any questions, contact Joanna Deming at joanna.deming@gmail.com or (412) 206-9402.

Benefits of AmeriCorps VISTA

• Living Allowance: Receive a modest bi-weekly living allowance of $472.22 to cover basic living expenses.

• Relocation Allowance: If you move 50+ miles from your home to a new community, you receive relocation travel assistance up to $1,000 (based on the federal mileage rate) and a settling-in allowance of $550.

• End of Service Award: Choose between a $5,920 Segal Education Award to pay for a range of education expenses or a $1,800 cash stipend.

• Health Care: Enroll in either out-of-pocket reimbursement ($7,150 medical, $1,000 for dental, $200 for vision) for healthcare or a healthcare plan. Dental and vision are also included, as are telehealth services.

• Non-Competitive Eligibility: Qualify for Non-Competitive Eligibility, a unique hiring path that makes it easier for federal agencies to hire you.

• Professional Development: Attend in-person and virtual professional development sponsored by AmeriCorps VISTA and Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group.

• Child Care: You may be eligible to receive up to $400/month for child care if you have children under the age of 13.

About Fineview Citizens Council and Perry Hilltop Citizens Councils
Fineview and Perry Hilltop Citizens Councils are membership based Community Development Corporations that partner together to build healthy, diverse, and inclusive communities. We represent two highly residential neighborhoods of approximately 4,500 people in Pittsburgh’s Northside, ten minutes from downtown and just up the hill from many amenities, such as Allegheny General Hospital, Mattress Factory, Children’s Museum, Andy Warhol Museum, Science Center, PNC Park, and Heinz Field.

Over the past 15 years, Fineview Citizens Council (FCC) has built 27 new homes. We have also held many successful events that have brought residents together and built pride in our community, such as an annual Halloween Parade, Easter Egg Hunt, Community Festival, and a Step Challenge. Perry Hilltop Citizens Council has also achieved a number of significant milestones since its incorporation in the 1960s. Most notably, we have established a food cooperative, a community credit union, affordable housing, a drisenior citizen’s highrise, and a campaign to end real estate blockbusting that encouraged white homeowners to flee the neighborhood.

Both groups recently created a Community Plan that we are now working to implement. One of the overarching themes in our plan is reducing resident displacement and making sure our existing neighbors can benefit from new developments in our community. To learn more, visit www.ourfuturehilltop.org .

About Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group VISTA
This project is part of Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group’s (PCRG) VISTA program, which sponsors seven VISTA members working at six sites for a more prosperous and equitable region. As the area’s foremost convener of grassroots organizations, PCRG aims to prepare Greater Pittsburgh’s next generation of community leaders. The proximity of these groups to the people they serve enables VISTAs to tackle poverty head on as they confront the rapidly changing landscape of Pittsburgh-area neighborhoods and municipalities.

In some areas, rapid growth threatens to displace low to moderate income residents, while other neighborhoods suffer from long-standing decay and under-investment. PCRG VISTAs placed with PCRG and its community partners aim to build the programming, resources, and organizational capacity necessary to capitalize on these changes. Not surprisingly, their assignments reflect the remarkable diversity of Greater Pittsburgh, concerning issues as varied as urban blight, affordable housing, and entrepreneur development. To support these goals, PCRG VISTAs formulate policy recommendations, implement community engagement strategies, write grants, manage volunteers, and much more. For more information on PCRG VISTA, visit www.pcrg.org/programs/americorps-vista or contact Aaron Salituro (asalituro@pcrg.org, 412-391-6732) .