NIA Program Mission

The mission of The NorthShore Community Alliance’s NIA Program is to successfully provide job search training, employment opportunities, and employee mentoring services for teens and young adults in care.

The Allegheny County Department of Human Services (ACDHS) has provided their support to economically disadvantaged individuals relative to youth and young adults in foster care.  Nationally, Allegheny County has been recognized for their efforts to remain on the cutting edge of service provider partnership and gaps-in-services closure.  The ACDHS has invested in solution-focused concepts to children in care.

The NorthShore Community Alliance (NCA) has partnered with the ACDHS’s Independent Living and Bridge Programs, various group homes, and community leaders/employers to assist in providing employment opportunities for youth in care.  Together, we will present positive change for the lives of those teens and young adults.

NIA’s Community Partners

§  Allegheny County Department  of Human Services—Independent Living and Bridge Programs

§  Auberle—Independent Living

§  Circle C—Independent Living

§  Family Links—Independent Living

§  Holy Family—Group Home

§  Ward Home—Independent Living

Who Can Be Served 

The NIA Program provides services to teens and young adults of Allegheny County who are between the ages of 14 to 24, and who reside in group or foster care settings.

Services Offered

Work Base Specialists are available to provide the services listed below for our target population.

§  Job Search Training - Our training program involves The Jump Start to Success and Casey Family Foundation:  “It’s My Life” Handbook that emphasizes the importance of job attainment strategy.

§  Case Management - The Work Base Specialist will work with our consumers within in a group and on a one-on-one basis for program efficacy and needs assessment purposes.  The Specialists will have the ability to determine client needs for job attainment.

§  Interest and Skill Assessments - The Specialists utilize Interest and Skills assessment tools with willing and able participants to assist in identifying needs for job attainment.

§ Employment and Career Mentoring Services - The participants will maintain their employment.  Moreover, the Specialists are there to assist every step of the way.

The goal of The NorthShore Community Alliance’s (NCA) Workforce Development Program is to transition recipients from public assistance to self-sufficiency through job skills training and gainful employment.  NCA’s Workforce Development Program is the North Shore’s welfare reform initiative that can be potentially funded by the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, providing support services to economically disadvantaged individuals receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits.  The services provided under this program include case management; abilities, interests and skills assessments; life skills and job skills training; and, employment and career services.

• Career Assessment consists of a series of assessments and seminars to evaluate customer potential, develop training needs, and facilitate accurate workforce planning.
• Job Skills Training consists of life/soft skills training, industry-specific training, and post-secondary training.
• Employment and Career Services consists of hands-on training that provides job readiness skills, job-search techniques, and facilitates the acquisition of employment.
• Retention and Career Advancement Services provides our customers with post-employment follow-up as well as employer assessment information that enhance career advancement opportunities.

• Medical Screenings
• Computer Classes
• Arts & Crafts
• Bingo every Tuesday & Thursday from 11:00Am to 3:00PM .10¢ per card; 4 card minimal; 10 regular Bingo’s; 6 special Bingo’s; 2 paper specials, and secret number.
• Senior feeding program every Tuesday & Thursday (free) 11:30AM to 12:30PM.
• Senior Trips - Shopping trips to the local malls, the Waterfront, and Wal-Mart can be arranged by NCA staff, using transportation provided by NCA. We would charge a minimal charge per person to cover fuel cost.

Realizing that a cooperative approach must be taken in order to positively address this issue, the collaborative came together to offer a wrap-around program that deals with the family as a whole.  This includes focusing on the stability of the family and their connection to available services for education, mental wellness and spirituality. 

The collaborative will also offer “Values for Life,” the proven successful curriculum that guides youth and their families in positive directions and away from activities that are pre-cursors to juvenile delinquency.   The “Values for Life” curriculum focuses on the behavioral expression of key values considered by parents, teachers, and clergy as critical to the future of children and youth as well as their communities.

There are seven values deemed essential to our children’s future: We want our children to value and express high levels of love and respect, interpersonal skills, learning orientation, self-confidence, self-persistence, and self-esteem.

The collaborative is comprised of the following organizations:

• The NorthShore Community Alliance (NCA)
• The Center For Family Excellence (CFE)

The NorthShore Community Alliance Summer Camp is offered from June to August. The camp is open to children ages 6 to 14. Hours of operation are 8:30am to 4:00pm. We offer an array of services for the children. Please give us a call at 412-322-7400 ext. 501 for more information. Listed below are just a few of the activities that NCA offers. 

NCA Summer Camp Program and Spark

• Will be offered 3-4 times a week for 45mins or more.
• Spark program is safe, enjoyable, active and developmentally appropriate. Promotes motor skill development, cooperation, team building and social skill development.
• Offers an array of activities, games, dances and sports for children.