The Hill District Consensus Group is a membership based community organization, active for more than thirty years
Our mission is to create effective pathways for intergenerational residents to overcome economic,
social, and housing disparities.
Our grassroots organizing and lived
experience make us uniquely qualified to do this work.
all power to the people
all power to the people
Our Core Values
-
Grassroots Leadership
We believe that grassroots leadership is people-centered work, and that the people most affected by a problem should lead the efforts to solve it.
-
People and Residents Are Valuable
We value residents and their goals, and working across as opposed to top-down. Development doesn’t matter as much as people’s everyday lives.
-
Equity and Social Justice
We stand for equity and social justice, as it relates to race, class, gender, and other areas of disenfranchisement, in our communities.
-
Housing Is A Human Right
Many existing homeowners and renters are struggling; we respect the right of every individual to have a shelter that is safe, warm, and equitable.
-
Community Knowledge Is Power
We believe knowledge is power. Sharing information with our community is a way to work collectively to shape our community’s future.
-
Economic Justice Is Power
Every human being who is capable deserves to have sufficient income to cover daily expenses, including food, decent clothing, and safe shelter.
-
Movement Building Is Key
We must form strategic alliances with other community organizations and residents to build a movement capable of winning systemic social change.
-
Community Innovation
Everyday we challenge ourselves to leverage bold and innovative leadership in creative ways to solve some of our community’s toughest challenges.
History
The Hill District Consensus Group began as a strategic planning group in 1991.
Community representatives felt there was a need to coordinate the development efforts of their respective agencies. These groups and individuals included:
Hill Community Development Corporation
Hill District Ministries
House of the Crossroads
Hill District Federal Credit Union
Hill House Association
Two active community residents, Dwayne Cooper and Mary Walker
Richard Adams (of the Urban Redevelopment Authority)
The group aimed to foster trust and cooperation between their agencies for the betterment of the entire community. The goal of fostering trust and cooperation soon expanded to include all of the agencies in the Hill District, including social service agencies, development organizations, resident groups, and businesses.
We have achieved several significant accomplishments, including:
Organizing the One Hill Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) Coalition which:
Reorganized power dynamics within the Hill to allow for greater community input into development decisions
Developed the Blueprint for a Livable Hill, a community ratified comprehensive social and economic vision for the Greater Hill District
Won the first community benefits agreement in Pennsylvania, which brought nearly 12 million dollars in resources to the neighborhood
We’ve also:
-
1996-2002
Formed community-driven Hill District development plans in 1996 and 2002 that became the basis for Hill CDC and McCormick Baron Salazar developments including the Dinwiddie Street & Wylie Avenue townhomes, and the Bedford Hill Development.
-
2009-2010
Facilitated community review of potential development projects in the Hill District since the establishment and staffing of the Hill District Planning Forum in 2009. Worked with labor allies to recruit a grocery store operator to manage a Shop‘n’Save in the Hill District to pay a living wage.
-
2009-2011
Mobilized more than 200 residents and provided other community engagement support as a co-facilitator and co-creator of the Greater Hill District Master Plan (2011). Facilitated a collaboration between past and present residents, organizations, and other stakeholders.
-
2012
Assembled a team of consultants to study vacant property in the Hill District. This required a detailed parcel-by-parcel survey of vacant properties and a review of relevant planning recommendations made as part of the Hill District Master Plan and Greenprint.
-
2017
Our Water Campaign (OWC) began advocating for clean, safe, affordable and publicly-controlled drinking water in the City of Pittsburgh. Furnished 800 Hill District residents with lead free filters for their homes.
-
2019
Began a renter’s rights and leadership program providing tenants with training and resources to organize neighbors, block clubs, and tenant councils to collectively and effectively advocate for affordable housing.
-
2020
Organized the Community Resource Navigation team at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Assisted and guided more than 300 people through rent and utility relief payments, evictions, and essential needs.
-
Ongoing
Developing effective strategies for community engagement in development efforts that have been disseminated through books, research articles, dissertations, and have been presented across the nation.
Since Our Founding…
the Hill District Consensus Group has grown as a membership-based community organization and become a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
The Consensus Group has been active in shaping community planning and development efforts for nearly 20 years. Over that time, the HDCG has achieved several significant accomplishments, including but not limited to:
Inspired and assisted with the development of Consensus Groups in East Hills, Larimer and Lincoln-Lemington.
Formed community-driven Hill District development plans in 1996 and 2002 that became the basis for Hill CDC and McCormick Baron Salazar developments including the Dinwiddie Street and Wylie Avenue townhomes and the Bedford Hill Development.
Conducted and won a campaign to eliminate all tobacco and alcohol billboard advertisements in the neighborhood, even before the formation of the law that banned the practice.
Organized the One Hill Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) Coalition which:
Reorganized power dynamics within the Hill to allow for greater community input into development decisions
Developed the Blueprint for a Livable Hill, a community ratified comprehensive social and economic vision for the Greater Hill District
Won the first community benefits agreement in Pennsylvania, which brought nearly 12 million dollars in resources to the neighborhood
Through our relationship with labor, recruited a grocery store operator to manage a Shop 'n Save store in the Hill District to pay a living wage.
Facilitated community review of potential development projects in the Hill District since the establishment and staffing of the Hill District Planning Forum in 2009.
Mobilized and collaborated with more than 200 residents and provided other community engagement support in creating the latest neighborhood master plan in 2011: The Greater Hill District Master Plan.
Codified community viewpoints via the Greater Hill District Development Principles (Appendix A in the Master Plan).
Helped to create a more positive public identity for the Hill District via our newsletter which has been distributed to 6000+ homes in the Hill District.
Developed effective strategies for community engagement in development efforts that have been disseminated through books, research articles, dissertations, and have been presented across the nation (Buffalo NY, Youngstown OH, Philadelphia PA, Kentucky, Detroit MI, Washington DC, Indiana, Los Angeles CA, Chicago IL).
Helped secure 200+ jobs for community residents via Community Benefits Agreement enforcement.
In 2012, the Consensus Group took the first step to explore this important program initiative. The Consensus Group opened a Request-For-Proposals and assembled a team of consultants to study the issue of a vacant property. This study required a detailed parcel-by-parcel survey of vacant properties throughout the Hill District. The planning team compiled data about each vacant parcel and building and reviewed relevant planning recommendations made as part of the Hill District Master Plan and Greenprint.
With the support of a Neighborhood Allies Catalytic Grant, the Hill District Consensus Group (HDCG) began an extensive renter’s rights and leadership program to provide tenants with the training and resources needed to organize neighbors, block clubs, and tenant councils to collectively and effectively advocate for more affordable housing in 2019.
Our Water Campaign (OWC) began advocating for clean, safe, affordable and publicly-controlled drinking water in the City of Pittsburgh. The the extent of the lead crisis in PWSA’s system was just becoming clear; the threat of privatization was also looming.
At the start of Covid-19, the Community Justice project reached out to the Hill District Consensus Group (HDCG) and the Pittsburgh Hispanic Development Corporation (PHDC)— since we are two well-connected community organizations who are already providing de facto resource navigation for low-income clients—to staff-up and coordinate with other community groups to provide equivalent eviction prevention and wrap-around services. Our community resource navigator's services included guidance to community care since we understand that helping people navigate through a crisis is not easy.
For more information on the Hill District Consensus Group organizing model, please check out the article "Organizing for Economic Justice" written by Carl Redwood and Bonnie Young-Laing.