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The Community Outreach Partnership Centers (COPC) program is an initiative of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and its Office of University Partnerships (OUP). COPC programs are designed to help colleges and universities develop and sustain effective partnerships for rebuilding community. COPC grants provide a catalyst for encouraging higher education institutions to mobilize their many resources to address issues and needs identified by local community partners. COPC activities are guided by the following principles:

• Applied Research
• Capacity Building
• Comprehensive Community Building
• Service Learning

Background History

In Fall 2000, the University of Pittsburgh received a three-year HUD-COPC grant to support collaborative outreach efforts among university and community partners. These efforts address a range of programs designed to strengthen citizens' and organizations' capacity to help thier communities. The University of Pittsburgh COPC conducts outreach efforts in the following areas:

• Economic Development- entrepreneurship training and small business development
• Education- children's literacy and tutoring, youth school-to-career mentoring
• Health/Wellness - outreach of targeted health care and prevention programs for wellness
• Housing - healthy homes, home ownership, improvements, code enforcement, fair-housing
• Job Training - job readiness training, work experience and employment placement
• Neighborhood Revitalization - individual, organizational and community capacity-building

These activities are supported with applied research that addresses:

• Geographic Information systems (GIS)
• Housing Codes and Safety Databases
• Housing Inventories
• Neighborhood Health Inventories
• Neighborhood Revitalization Outcomes under HOPE VI
• Youth Recreational and Developmental Needs

Outreach efforts and applied research are concentrated in neighborhoods adjacent to the University's Oakland campus in Pittsburgh. These neighborhoods include:

• Allequippa Terrace/Oak Hill
• Central Oakland
• Hazelwood
• South Oakland
• West Oakland