Hosanna House is a Black-led charitable nonprofit organization dedicated to providing resources to the Wilkinsburg community with the mission of ending the cycle of poverty. Their goal is to help children and families reach their maximum potential physically, spiritually, and economically.
The organization offers a range of services including child development, health and wellness programs, youth programming, workforce development, summer camps, and, recently, aviation training. Hosanna House staff says these resources are essential for developing growth and support within the community.
Founded in 1989 by the Covenant Church of Pittsburgh and now-Chief Executive Officer, Leon Haynes III, Hosanna House was born out of a desire to create positive change in Wilkinsburg.
In the early to mid-1990s, Wilkinsburg faced significant challenges, including an increase in gang violence, widespread business closures, and abandoned homes. According to a 2016 TribLive article, this aligned with a broader national trend, and the country’s violent crime rate dropped recently to half of its early ’90s peak.
Haynes and his team worked to reclaim the community, create job opportunities, and restore hope. What was once an abandoned building — formerly Horner Middle School — was transformed into a thriving community resource hub, Hosanna House.
“Hosanna House is an anchor in the community that has provided programs and essential services for the most vulnerable population. Our mission is to help people who are facing difficult life issues beyond their control: to end the life cycle of poverty for future generations,” Haynes tells Pittsburgh City Paper.
Under Haynes’ leadership, Hosanna House developed partnerships, secured funding, and gathered more than 500 volunteers to renovate the building. In 1996, the four-story, 125,000-square-foot facility officially opened to the public.
In 2020, the organization celebrated 30 years of service to the community.
Lucille Plummer, Chief Administrator to Haynes, says, “at one point, Wilkinsburg was industrial. It did have thriving businesses and homes, and it was the place to come.” Through Hosanna House’s efforts, they’re working to reclaim that vibrancy in the community.
Hosanna House has built a network of key partners, including Pathways to Work, WIC, and Action Housing. The organization’s drive is rooted in listening to the needs of residents and finding solutions to fill critical gaps. “We are about people, and we want to make sure that everyone has what they need,” Plummer says.
Helping people overcome poverty and addressing negative mindsets in the community remain to be core challenges for Hosanna House. As a Christian organization, Hosanna House leans on prayer, collaboration, and engagement to understand and meet the needs of the community.
James Tigner, Hosanna House’s Director of Marketing and Aviation says, “We rely heavily on prayer. We pray to get insight. We talk to people in the community.”
Plummer adds, “We also invite our local churches to come and tour Hosanna House to see the resources that we have. Then, they can take that back to their congregation and spread the word more.”
The organization collaborates with several local churches, including Covenant Church of Pittsburgh, Shekinah Tabernacle, and Living Word Congregational Church.
One of Hosanna House’s standout initiatives is its focus on youth and education. In 2022, the organization launched the Tuskegee Airmen Museum, which highlights the history of Black aviators. The museum addresses the lack of representation in the aviation industry for Black communities.
“The significance of it is that we wanted Black and brown kids to see themselves outside of just being in Wilkinsburg,” Tigner says. “We wanted them to be able to envision themselves as being more, and when they’re able to look at it, to touch it, to feel it, they start to embody it.”
Hosanna House also offers aviation classes to students at Propel Braddock Hills High School, Woodland Hills High School, and Nazareth Prep.
“We have four classes with 40 students total in our program that are going through part 107 drone operation to become licensed drone pilots,” Tigner says. “We have a certified flight instructor on staff, and so we teach them how to become pilots.”
The curriculum is through the Air Line Pilots Association. The program aims to help students become professional pilots before they graduate high school.
“We did a study, and found that over the next 10 years, there’s going to be a shortage of pilots and individuals in the aviation industry of about 700,000. We wanted to empower the people in our community with the skills they need in order to fill those positions,” Tigner tells City Paper. Hosanna House aims to encourage students pursuing aviation to achieve generational wealth and break the cycle of poverty.
In honor of Black History Month, the Tuskegee Airmen Museum will be open to the public for free every Saturday and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. through all of February. “It showcases the Tuskegee Airmen in a really valuable way,” Plummer says.
On Thu., Feb. 27, Hosanna House will also host an event titled Celebrating Black History: Honoring Our Past, Shaping Our Future at the Sherwood Event Center. The event will honor the contributions of Black professionals in the aviation industry while exploring career opportunities for Black communities.
Titus Sanders, Programs Chair of the Board of Directors at the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, will serve as the keynote speaker. The event will also feature a panel of aviation experts from Aerium, Republic Airways, and other organizations.
“This event is going to open up so much understanding to the students and to everyone about how essential aviation is and the opportunities within aviation,” Plummer says.
Tigner adds, “We’ll have panelists discussing job opportunities and the future of aviation for Black and brown people, and we’ll talk about what is going on in the industry right now and how we can impact change.”
Through their Black History Month programming and year-round initiatives, Hosanna House continues to inspire hope and provide transformative opportunities to the Wilkinsburg community and beyond.
“Black History Month means intentionally taking the opportunity to express, inspire, and acknowledge who I am and the contributions made by my forefathers who went before me,” Haynes says. “Expressing my appreciation for inspiration from those who went before me. As a result, I know that I matter, those who lead the way before me matter, and those who follow after me matter.”
This article appears in Jan 29 – Feb 4, 2025.
