Unfit for Work: The Startling Rise of Disability in America (Chana Joffe-Walt) from NPR's This American Life
"...people on disability don't show up in any of the places we usually look to see how the economy is doing. But the story of these programs -- who goes on them, and why, and what happens after that -- is, to a large extent, the story of the U.S. economy. It's the story not only of an aging workforce, but also of a hidden, increasingly expensive safety net."
Here's the This American Life program.  Here's a separate segment from All Things Considered.

Retired and Senior Volunteer Program Workers Never Too Old to Lend a Hand from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Mr. Divack, 68, of Squirrel Hill, is just one example of how seniors and retirees can find fulfilling work after their careers have ended and the nest is empty. And now, Pittsburgh Cares, which matches volunteers with nonprofit organizations, is making it easier for seniors to help their communities by restarting the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, part of the federally funded SeniorCorps program."

Retired volunteer John Cokley passes collected trash to Joseph Divack of Allegheny CleanWays as RSVP volunteers pick up litter above Steuben Street in the West End section of Pittsburgh.

PEOPLE!!

Larimer Activist Ora Lee Carroll Dies from the New Pittsburgh Courier 
"It didn’t matter to Ora Lee Carroll if you were a staunch conservative like former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, or a dedicated progressive like state Sen. Jim Ferlo, D-Lawrenceville. If you could bring resources to her neighborhood to battle drugs and violence, or assist with housing and business development, you got her calls."

Ora Lee Carroll

Pittsburgh's Homeless Sought, Counted, Helped from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The first goal is finding housing for Pittsburgh's homeless; the rest will follow, local human services workers say. "It's a complex problem with an easy solution," said Breanna Jay, coordinator for Operation Save-A-Life, which is part of Community Human Services. Operation Save-A-Life conducted its annual Point-In-Time survey of the North Side's homeless Tuesday night to provide proof of the individuals it serves."

More Grandparents are Spending their Golden Years Caring for Grandchildren from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Their stories are different, but more seniors are finding themselves having to raise a second set of children."

Grandmother Delores Gambrill.  From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

BIG GRANT!!

Heinz Endowments Announces $1.35 Million Grant to Hazelwood-based Center of Life from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"A $1.35 million grant to Center of Life, a faith-based outreach organization in Hazelwood, is set to be the largest single investment of The Heinz Endowments' place-based initiative. The foundation announced today that the grant to Center of Life will expand and enhance its arts, education and athletics programs for youth and families."

Food Survey of Homewood, Hill District Ready for Public Meetings from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"A two-year study of the eating, shopping and health conditions of about 1,000 households will be revealed at meetings Nov. 28 and Dec. 6."

Center to Bring Much-Needed Services to Clairton from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"After eight years of planning and setbacks, the Clairton Southside Community Human Resource Center is open for business. “We’re looking for tenants. Hopefully people will look at the building and decide to come to our facility because people in our area need services like GED courses,” said Cheryl Hurt, of the Community Economic Development Corp. of Clairton, which is renting an office at the building."

U.S. District Court to Begin Program for Veterans from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The local U.S. District Court will operate a new Veterans Treatment Court to help vets successfully rejoin society."

Center to Bring Much-needed Services to Clairton from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"After eight years of planning and setbacks, the Clairton Southside Community Human Resource Center is open for business. “We’re looking for tenants. Hopefully people will look at the building and decide to come to our facility because people in our area need services like GED courses,” said Cheryl Hurt, of the Community Economic Development Corp. of Clairton, which is renting an office at the building."

Catholic Diocese to Seek $125 Million to Fund 'the Intangibles' from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette
"Catholic Diocese launches $125 million campaign to fund charities, evangelization, education. ... Some of the many planned expenditures include creating a $1 million endowment to permanently fund dental care at the Catholic Charities Free Health Care Center, Downtown, $1.5 million for evangelization of fallen-away Catholics, $7 million in grants to isolated needy parishes, $1 million to campus ministry and $2 million to support education of autistic students in parish schools. The single largest allocation is $12 million in needs-based tuition grants for parish children to attend Catholic schools."

PROGRAM!!

Afterschool Programs Join Forces from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"A 2008 Northeastern University study found a sharp increase in homicides involving African-American youth, both as victims and perpetrators, between 2000 and 2007. The study found that risk spiked during the afterschool hours, indicating that afterschool hours are a peak time for juvenile crime for youth who do not have access to afterschool programs. For the past three years the Greater Pittsburgh Afterschool Consortium has been coming together to provide a safe haven for area youth. On Oct. 18 they hosted the 3rd Annual “Playing for Unity” event at Manchester Youth Development Center, which brought together children in afterschool programs across Allegheny and Beaver Counties."

EVENT!!

Student Help Community on PMADD from the Pitt News [of the University of Pittsburgh]
"Gargani and his brothers were just a few of the more than 3,000 Pitt students who gathered at the William Pitt Union at 10 a.m. Saturday to take part in Pitt Make a Difference Day, an annual event that began in 2007 as a way to connect Pitt students to the larger Pittsburgh community. The students boarded buses that lined Bigelow Boulevard to travel to one of the 63 volunteering sites throughout Pittsburgh and surrounding areas."

OPENING!!

Nonprofit to Open Wounded Warriors Career Facility in Pittsburgh from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"A New York City-based group plans to open a center in Pittsburgh to help wounded veterans get jobs or the schooling they need to find work. The nonprofit National Organization on Disability began its Wounded Warriors Careers project in Fayetteville, N.C., Dallas and Colorado Springs, and intends to add the Pittsburgh facility next month."

EVENT!!

Sleep-in Raises Money, Awareness for Homeless from the Pitt News [of the University of Pittsburgh]
"Last Friday evening a group of mostly college-aged adults drew images of homes with crayons. Once they had completed their masterpieces, the group members were instructed to tear up their work.  The activity was part of the fifth annual Sleep-in for the Homeless, of which Pitt was a lead sponsor. The event included activities designed to raise awareness of the complex problems faced by the city’s homeless population. Community Human Services Corporation assists 1,500 homeless people in the Pittsburgh area. "

Indiana County Commissioners Apply for Grant to Help Construct Housing for Homeless Veterans from the Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"Indiana County’s commissioners on Wednesday applied for a final piece of funding needed to construct the first in a series of planned buildings for housing homeless veterans in the county. If the competitive $155,000 state grant is approved, it would serve as the county’s share of a $1.4 million package."

PERSPECTIVE!!

Pennsylvania Shuts Down Its Safety Net of Last Resort (Liz Schott) from the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center
"Pennsylvania ended cash assistance today for very poor residents who cannot work and don’t qualify for other assistance, joining many other states that have scaled back or eliminated their General Assistance programs even as the need has grown."

PRESS RELEASE!!

With General Assistance Set to End, Costs Will Shift to Homeless Shelters, ERs from the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center
"The state will pull the plug on General Assistance (GA) on Wednesday, ending a decades-old benefit of last resort for low-income people who are sick, living with a disability, or escaping an abuser."

Transit Service for Disabled Riders Protected; Outlook Still Uncertain for Rest of System (Lauren Daley) from the Slag Heap blog at the Pittsburgh City Paper
"... at a monthly board meeting this morning, Port Authority CEO Steve Bland said the agency has received funding from the Federal Job Access Reverse Commute and Federal New Freedom Program, as well as matching dollars from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. The result: an estimated $6.2 million to keep ACCESS afloat. The authority says it will request to stretch that money out for the next two years. "This is huge," Bland said following the board's monthly meeting. "We had 2,000 individuals who frankly were thinking 'What am I going to do?'""

10 Best Places to Live on $100 a Day from AARP Magazine
"These cities offer all the ingredients for a rich retirement — at a fraction of the cost."
"When it comes to looking for a place to retire, cost of living often tops the list of considerations. But there's a difference between living cheaply and living well. In narrowing down our list of The 10 Best Places to Live on $100 a Day, we sought out towns and cities that offered not only bargain prices, but also a rich quality of life."
Pittsburgh is No. 6 on the list.