South Pittsburgh Coalition for Peace puts in the work to decrease gun violence | KD Sunday Spotlight
The South Pittsburgh Coalition for Peace started after a Carrick High School student was shot in the parking lot of that school. It began with nothing, and it's blossomed into a nonprofit decreasing violence in our community.
"We are doing good work. It's hard work. It's very difficult. It's stressful," said the South Pittsburgh Coalition for Peace's executive director, Re. Eileen Smith.
The stress doesn't stop when you're on a mission to end gun violence, especially in a hot spot.
"Out of the six zones, we were number three with the most shootings across the city," Smith said.
That zone was in South Pittsburgh neighborhoods, but thanks to the work of the South Pittsburgh Coalition for Peace, gun violence decreased.
"We are not even on the radar anymore, so we are no longer a hotspot, but we want to keep it that way," said Smith.
Rev. Smith said in South Hilltop there were only eight nonfatal shootings in 2025 and five nonfatal shootings in South Hilltop so far this year.
It's all thanks to these peacemakers making a difference from the streets in South Pittsburgh neighborhoods.
"They form relationships with the highest-risk individuals, and they go out and meet them where they are, on the streets, barbershops, wherever they are," she said.
The peacemakers provide trauma-informed care and make referrals to outreach workers.
"There's not one of our peacemakers who has not experienced trauma or gun violence, or had someone very close to them pass away because of it," said Smith.
It's that combination of connections and resources helping decrease violence risk factors.
"There are a number of them, such as lack of housing, addiction, poor health care," she said.
It's a passion to end all gun violence through prevention and awareness that drives this team forward, toward peace in our community.
"One of our own died from gun violence a couple of years ago, and we are still getting over it," Smith said. "So that just makes us want to do more and do better and save more lives."
The Birmingham Foundation started the nonprofit in 2005, and thanks to the community violence reduction initiative grant through Allegheny County's Department of Human Services, the South Pittsburgh Coalition for Peace has a building now.
The nonprofit hopes to add at least two more peacemakers soon. Right now, it's in its third year of a five-year grant and hopes to keep the momentum going.
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