The Manchester Community Safety Initiative was started in 1998 as a collaborative effort between Manchester Citizens Corporation (MCC) and Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP).  The collaboration grew out of the Manchester Hope VI program, an initiative designed to replace dilapidated public housing with a mixed-income community. At that time, criminal activity in Manchester was widespread. Improvements in safety help ensure the success of this 125 unit redevelopment.

The Manchester Community Safety Initiative started block watch groups, a no loitering sign campaign, and funded extra police details.  Initially MCC utilized three block watch groups focused on different geographies.  Over time, it became clear that a consolidated approach made the most sense.  In 2006, the block watch groups decide to merge into one group creating the Manchester Community Safety Committee.  This group has done a number of activities to decrease crime in our community, such as a call 911 initiative, establishing a drug free zone, and posting crime watch signs.  We also conducted community trainings, on gang awareness, conflict resolution, and community trauma.  We want to take our efforts in combating crime to the next level with our “Community Justice Project”.
 
Within the context of this model, community justice is defined as a community-led collaborative process that systemically repairs harm, reduces risk and revitalizes community in addressing and overcoming problems that impact the community’s quality of life.  Crime is viewed as dynamic and impacting a community along a continuum, which includes causative factors, the occurrence and consequences of crime.  The goal is to empower our community with the ability to effectively overcome crime through a community-led collaboration that develops and implements a strategic community justice plan focusing resources and efforts on interdicting crime along the crime continuum.