Mission, Vision, and Core Values

At Pittsburgh Scholar House, our mission is clear:

We enable single parents to break cycles of poverty and achieve lasting economic mobility through housing, health and wellness, education, employment opportunities, financial stability, wealth-building, and strong community connections. Together, an ecosystem of collaborators unites to create equitable pathways for families to thrive across generations.

Pittsburgh Scholar House has partnered with a group of experts in human services, philanthropy, finance, higher education, and early childhood learning to ensure that we apply best practices at every stage of the program.

The Wayfinders Program helps single parents demonstrate their commitment to educational achievement and show staff members that they have the basic skills needed to succeed as part of the full Pittsburgh Scholar House Program. As we deliver individualized programs to single parents and their children, we always have our values in mind. Our main priority is to help goal-oriented individuals fulfill their dreams, not to focus on each participant’s current financial circumstances. Rather than focusing on poverty, we give participants the support they need to set realistic goals and do the work necessary to achieve them.

We envision a future where single parents and their children thrive, build stability, and create lasting prosperity across generations.

Core Values

At Pittsburgh Scholar House, we value equity and belonging.

  1. Safety & Stability: We ensure families have secure, stable housing that anchors long-term mobility for both parents and children.
  2. Whole-Person Wellbeing: We support the physical, mental, and emotional health of parents and children through culturally responsive, 2-Gen-centered care.
  3. Lifelong Learning & Opportunity: We foster coordinated educational pathways that strengthen opportunity for every scholar and every child, advancing learning for both generations together.
  4. Economic Empowerment: We equip parents with the skills, tools, and access needed for meaningful employment and financial resilience, reinforcing progress toward stability.
  5. Generational Prosperity: We help families build wealth and assets that endure across generations, ensuring both parents and children benefit from expanded economic opportunity.
  6. Belonging & Social Capital: We cultivate strong relationships, community connectedness, and collective power among Scholars that support the growth and success of both generations.
  7. Advocacy: We work to remove systemic barriers and advocate for fair, inclusive communities that support mobility for all families across generations.
  8. 360-degree Support: We meet families where they are with wraparound services that address interconnected needs of parents and children.
  9. Barrier Elimination: We take proactive responsibility for uncovering, reducing, and dismantling barriers so both parents and children can thrive – together.
  10. Compassion & Integrity: We demonstrate genuine care in every interaction, acting in the best interest of families across both generations.
  11. Partnership & Collective Impact: We collaborate with mission-aligned organizations to strengthen outcomes and expand opportunity for parents and children together.
  12. Resourcefulness & Quality: We leverage third-party expertise when needed to ensure high-quality, cost-effective services that advance success.