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Pittsburgh Courier NEW
www.newpittsburghcourier.com Vol. 114 No. 47 Two Sections
NOVEMBER 22-28, 2023
thenewpittsburghcourier Published Weekly $1.00
Homeless Children’s Education Fund aims to ‘end the cycle’ of youth homelessness More than 3,000 youth are classified as homeless in Allegheny County
A.J. JEFFERSON, CEO OF THE HOMELESS CHILDREN’S EDUCATION FUND, FAR LEFT, AND PITTSBURGH FIRST LADY MICHELLE GAINEY, FAR RIGHT, WITH STUDENTS WHO HELPED MAKE AN ART EXHIBIT AT THE CITY-COUNTY BUILDING, DOWNTOWN. (PHOTO BY J.L. MARTELLO)
by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
Head into the City-County Building, Downtown, and you’ll see it—an art exhibition done by middle school students at Pittsburgh CAPA that shows a child’s view of housing insecurity.
And housing insecurity, or instability, or more bluntly, homelessness, is a real thing in the Pittsburgh area for young people. More than 3,000 of them, children and youth, are known to be experiencing homelessness, though the actual number is probably higher. If a
child is not living in their own home, such as living with a friend or a relative, or going from house to house, that classifies as homelessness. While there is a renewed focus on homelessness among adults in Downtown and other parts of Pittsburgh of late, people
like Pittsburgh’s First Lady, Michelle Gainey, and Homeless Children’s Education Fund CEO A.J. Jefferson won’t let you forget about the kids who are homeless. The art exhibition will continue to be displayed at the City-County Building through mid-Decem-
ber. It was unveiled in October. The “Hidden Stories” exhibition includes 22 two-dimensional pieces created in various media —watercolor, colored pencil, paint and acrylic—all meant to demonstrate diversity, educate audiences and evoke emotion, HCEF said.
“Each month, The Greater Pittsburgh Art Project features a unique theme dedicated to uplifting Pittsburgh’s diverse voices,” said Michelle Gainey, in a statement provided to the New Pittsburgh Courier. “Since HCEF SEE HCEF A6
‘The people who everyone gives up on are the ones who I’m drawn to.’
Rev. Cornell Jones receives inaugural Fred Rogers Institute Helper Award by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
When you do good, it seems like good always comes back to you. Andrea Flack-Wetherald could have just let the deadline pass. She could have just turned on the TV, or scrolled through Facebook. Instead, she was determined to fill out a number of questions and even create and submit a video about how much Rev. Cornell Jones deserves the inaugural Fred Rogers Institute Helper Award. Flack-Wetherald, who no longer lives in Pitts-
burgh, described how, when she was living on the North Side, her family was dealing with gun violence in front of her home on a regular basis. Reverend Jones, the longtime community and violence prevention activist, and his outreach team intervened, and stopped a number of violence-related incidents from happening near Flack-Wetherald’s residence. Reverend Jones also provided Flack-Wetherald’s family with constant support, resources and conversation. Reverend Jones, along SEE JONES B12
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REV. CORNELL JONES, WITH WIFE, DR. TOYA JONES. (PHOTO BY J.L. MARTELLO)