McKees Rocks and Stowe Township residents who need help finding employment have a new resource at their disposal.
Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania and the Allegheny County Housing Authority have teamed to open the Goodwill McKees Rocks Opportunity Center, a community hub dedicated to giving residents access to career coaching, workforce training, education and essential support services.
A grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony was held Tuesday at the center, located at 251 Jefferson Drive in Pleasant Ridge.
Lauren Brown, Goodwill’s vice president of external relations, said that the new center “strengthens Goodwill’s mission to remove barriers to employment and essential services, expanding access to workforce development, education and family support resources for residents of McKees Rocks.”
Rich Stephenson, executive director of the county Housing Authority, said the authority has changed its focus in recent years to not only providing housing for those who need it, but helping people become self-sufficient.
And when he learned that Goodwill had a workforce development component, he thought it would make a great match. So, the two entities set their sights on McKees Rocks-Stowe specifically as an area in need of employment-related resources.
“I didn’t know about it,” Stephenson said of Goodwill’s work in helping people find employment. “I just thought Goodwill was a place to drop off used clothing and other donations. But they have a section focused on workforce development and helping people get into the workforce.
“And they were looking for an area to expand.”
Stephenson said the Pleasant Ridge community had some space available, and Goodwill agreed to set up shop there. The location features a 100-square-foot office and a 750-square-foot classroom and will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The resource will be open for all residents in the McKees Rocks/Stowe area – not just those living in Pleasant Ridge.
Sara Innamorato, Allegheny County executive, speaks during Tuesday’s grand opening of the Goodwill McKees Rocks Opportunity Center in Pleasant Ridge. (Photo courtesy of Sydney Weiland, Goodwill Southwestern Pennsylvania digital marketing coordinator)
Goodwill operates two other similar centers – one on the South Side and one on the North Side. In the 12-month period ending June 30, 2025, nearly 300 people participated in free digital literacy programs, including webinars on essential workplace applications, individualized digital skills coaching, seven-week basic computer courses and advanced classes. Another nearly 600 people utilized adult education courses.
A total of 159 people were placed in jobs paying an average hourly wage of just over $17 and 58 people who went through two specific programs – EARN and Work Ready – were placed in jobs that paid an hourly wage of just under $17.
EARN – the Employment, Advancement and Retention Network – was created to help welfare recipients overcome barriers to employment and to better coordinate existing employment and training programs available for them. EARN is for people with some work history, a high school diploma or GED and minimal barriers to employment.
Work Ready, meanwhile, is for individuals who might need more support than that and likely have a longer runway to employment. They might need a high school credential, job readiness help and other types of support, Brown said.
Stephenson said he hopes that the Goodwill McKees Rocks Opportunity Center can produce data that he can use to prove to potential donors that such an operation is worthy of funding. He said he’s sought funding from foundations in recent years for a countywide approach to helping people make strides toward self-sufficiency but hasn’t had much luck.
“They all want to see the data – they want to hear our success stories,” he said.
So Stephenson thought focusing on a specific area of the county – one that has a high percentage of resident utilizing Section 8 housing vouchers – and putting significant resources there might produce some of those success stories. That’s what led to the new Opportunity Center locating in McKees Rocks.
Stephenson said workforce readiness and education programs are available, but organizations like the county Housing Authority simply don’t have the manpower to get the word out.
“The programs are there, and I have the people who need to be connected,” Stephenson said. “I need the foot soldiers to build relationships – to knock on doors and get out in the communities.”
Stephenson said he hopes that by creating success stories in McKees Rocks and Stowe, he can be in a better position to obtain more support from donors.
Stephenson said Dontez Ford, a Sto-Rox High School graduate who went on to play football at Pitt and ultimately earn his MBA there, has agreed to help recruit those “foot soldiers” to help spread the word about the new McKees Rocks center.
“He’s a young man who succeeded – he’s someone who young people can look up to,” he said of Ford. “A lot of people who live in Section 8 housing don’t believe they can get out of it. He’s going to be the voice to show them you can.”
Monique McIntosh, president and CEO of Goodwill SWPA, speaks during Tuesday’s grand opening of the Goodwill McKees Rocks Opportunity Center in Pleasant Ridge. (Photo courtesy of Sydney Weiland, Goodwill Southwestern Pennsylvania digital marketing coordinator)
Brown said the center originally was envisioned to focus on people receiving TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) benefits, but it was decided to open the new Center for anyone living in the McKees Rocks/Stowe area who could benefit from the Goodwill services.
“Or if they have a need outside of our purview, we can help connect them to those services,” Brown said.
Brown said Goodwill partners with Partner4Work, which administers the EARN and Work Ready programs with funding provided by TANF through grants from the state Department of Human Services.
Brown said that for career training, the first step is to assess a person’s educational level to see if they’re ready.
“If not, we can connect them with educational support,” she said. “If they are, we can connect them with other training providers.”
When it comes to computer skills, Brown said the Goodwill Center can provide basic digital skills and then build on them over time.
Brown said Goodwill is excited about the McKees Rocks center’s potential.
One reason for that excitement, Brown said, is that there are other communities with similar needs, and the partnership between Goodwill and the Housing Authority can help people not only solidify their housing situations but also help them move from unemployment to a stable job.
“That’s why this is so exciting,” Brown said. “We know this is just the first step.”
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