Pittsburgh Forms Panel To Combat Youth Violence

PITTSBURGH, PA — The city has formed a nine-member panel that will attempt to help curb an alarming recent rise in youth violence. The new Advisory Committe for Youth and Family Resources Centers was unveiled Monday by Mayor Ed Gainey and city Council President Theresa Kail Smith.

The committee is tasked to find a way to utilize existing assets to launch resource centers to serve as a safe place to launch resource centers to serve as a safe place for kids and youths and provide support services for families in need.

“I believe the work of this committee will be critical for our long-term work to bring peace to our city,” Gainey said in a statement. “This is about coming up with ways to use all our city resources to help provide new opportunities and pathways for our kids, while making sure their parents have access to the resources they need."

Council chose five members of the panel and Gainey selected four. They are:

The make-up of the committee includes 5 members chosen by Pittsburgh City Council and 4 members chosen by Mayor Ed Gainey.

• Councilman Rev. Ricky Burgess

• Councilman Anthony Coghill

• Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle

• Ricky Moody - Community Health and Human Services Policy Manager

• Diane Holder - Community Engagement Specialist

• Lisa Frank - Chief Administrative and Operations Officer

• Kathryn Vargas – Director Parks and Recreation

• David Jones – Assistant Director of Community Affairs, Department of Public Safety

• Education Coordinator – Office of the Mayor Ed Gainey

The committee initially discuss its meeting schedule, public engagement, and timeline for
putting together their strategic plan to open up city owned facilities in areas being impacted by youth violence.