localized date
Current Time
As leaders in Pittsburgh and other cities grapple with how to address homelessness, three experts convened in Downtown’s core to discuss just that.
The experts – two professors and a nonprofit founder – recently took to a stage in Market Square and urged audience members to empathize rather than jump to conclusions. Point Park University psychology professor Bob McInerney asked people to hold off on making judgments and consider how they might act if socially isolated and forced into survival mode.
“To have humanity means recognizing the human condition,” said McInerney, also founder of Mobile Thriving Respite. “Empathy requires imagination.”
The goal of the event was to bring live conversation about an issue in the news to the public.
The next NewsBreaks events are scheduled from noon to 1 p.m., on August 21 and September 25 in Market Square. NewsBreaks is part of an effort to engage the public in local news leading up to Newsapalooza and the launch of Next Generation Newsroom, both in September.
City Paper news editor Colin Williams asked panelists about the state of homelessness in Allegheny County right now.
Homelessness fell during COVID because additional support was available, said Dave Lettrich, founder of the nonprofit Bridge Outreach. However, since then rates have risen again.
There were about 685 people in emergency shelters throughout Allegheny County as of the end of July, which is down slightly compared to January, according to the county Department of Human Services. In mid-July, there were about 200 additional people not in shelters.
Nationwide, higher rents are linked to an increase in homelessness, according to Brookings.
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato is working to create 500 stable, affordable housing openings in 500 days to help alleviate the homelessness crisis. She announced the initiative in early June.
Lettrich said he has noticed a commonality among people struggling to obtain and keep stable housing.
“Housing is a symptom, a manifestation of a history of trauma that compounds to the point where an individual finds themselves lost, alone and homeless,” Lettrich said. “That is a consistent story across the board.”
McInerney pointed out that mental health issues can arise from homelessness. Efforts to engage homeless people in everyday activities – such as playing games and watching movies - help them thrive, not just survive, he said.
Point Park professor Heather Starr Fiedler echoed those sentiments.
“The more we can get out and meet people and learn about who they are, the more we can help them thrive and not just look at them as numbers,” said Fiedler, chair of the Department of Community Engagement and Leadership.
The audience also weighed in. One person, who identified themselves as homeless, pointed out the need for public showers. He suggested those facilities could be staffed by homeless people.
“All they want is a place to clean themselves up and get a job if they want it,” he said.
NewsBreaks are supported by a grant from the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership and led by the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park. Registration for events Aug. 21 and Sept. 25 will soon be available via Eventbrite. There is no charge to attend.
Catch the first NewsBreaks on YouTube.
Mitra Nourbakhsh is a third-year student at Northwestern University studying journalism and international studies with a minor in data science. She most recently interned at the Pittsburgh Business Times as one of ten Pittsburgh Media Partnership interns. Her work has also been published in TABLE Magazine and PublicSource. She is a native of Pittsburgh.
.png)
