By Caelin Grambau, University of Pittsburgh English Writing & Spanish double major
The Latino Community Center (LCC) of Pittbsurgh has officially moved from its previous headquarters in Downtown Pittsburgh to a larger, more effective space in East Liberty.
Up until their decision to move, the LCC had been renting an office space in Downtown Pittsburgh from Catholic Charities since their opening in 2017. That space in itself is about 1,500 square feet, and worked well for the LCC in its first years of operations.
Over the course of the last 5 years the LCC has grown from a team of 5 in 2018, to a team of 35 full time staff in 2022, and helps serve and work with over 500 families a year. This new space, located at 5750 Baum Boulevard 2nd floor (Pittsburgh PA 15206) in East Liberty provides just short of 10,000 square feet of space for the Community Center, which gives them the room they need to expand their programming and services.
In addition to their own services, the Latino Community Center also became the fiscal sponsor of the Latino Family Center in July of 2020, as noted in their press release. Because of this sponsorship, they will incorporate the Family Center into their move to East Liberty from its current location of Hazelwood.
There was much deliberation during the process of choosing where to relocate the community center to, and after various surveys and community meetings with the Latinx population of Pittsburgh and the surrounding communities, East Liberty was one of the top 3 choices for where the community felt that the LCC’s presence would be most beneficial.
“We are excited to move our center to East Liberty, a community that is strong and vibrant and one where many of our families live and work.” said Rosamaria Cristello, the founder and Executive Director of the LCC. “This space will allow us to better meet the demand for our services due to the growth of the Latinx community.” she noted in the press release.
Congratulations to the Latino Community Center on the move and expansion, and to celebrating its upcoming 5th birthday this year!
For Latinx families and individuals unfamiliar with the LCC, here is a brief message from them: “The Latino Community Center (LCC) is a Latinx founded and led nonprofit organization that empowers, advocates with, and celebrates Latinos in Allegheny County. We envision a Pittsburgh community in which all Latinos are valued and have equal and equitable access to the resources needed to thrive. LCC provides a continuum of support to Latino children and families in Pittsburgh that includes an early childhood home visiting program, afterschool and summer school programming for elementary and middle school students, college and career readiness programming for high school and college students, mentoring opportunities for Latinx youth with Latinx professionals, and a family services team that supports newly arrived or established families with navigating access to basic and critical needs, provides parenting classes, and a community health worker program. By advancing and uplifting the Latinx community in Pittsburgh, we are working to ensure that Pittsburgh is a welcoming, diverse, and inclusive place for all.” More info can be found at www.latinocommunitycenter.org.
