Allegheny County Steps Forward With Families

When Ascend Forward with Families launched at the 2026 Aspen Forum on Children and Families, it didn’t start with the question: What works for children and families?

That’s because we already knew the answer. The solutions are proven. Forward With Families is about organizing and accelerating those solutions at the scale families need.

Across the country, that work is already underway. Leaders in states like Michigan, Georgia, and New Mexico are aligning policies, investments, and systems around what families actually need to move forward. 

But Forward With Families is also about expanding the field – expanding the Ascend network and building a broader chorus of leaders committed to making life more affordable and economic mobility possible for families.

That expansion includes our first Forward With Families county: Allegheny County in Western Pennsylvania

Ascend has a long history of working with partners in Allegheny County, home to the city of Pittsburgh and the second most populous county in Pennsylvania. Nearly a decade ago, Ascend began working with the Allegheny County Department of Human Services to advance the two-generation (2Gen) approach, helping align systems so that children and the adults in their lives can succeed together.

That work helped spark collaborations with human service leaders across the country, from Maricopa County, Arizona, to Olmstead County, Minnesota. In 2020, the partnership deepened when Allegheny County DHS  joined the Ascend Network.

So when Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato and her team reached out to Ascend shortly after the launch of Forward With Families, it was both a natural step and a clear signal of what’s possible when a local leader meets a national movement. 

Since taking office on January 4, 2024, Innamorato has advanced the All in Allegheny Action Plan – a comprehensive agenda that translates community priorities into action. With 91 action items across nine9 focus areas, the plan is designed as a living blueprint for how government can deliver for families.

“It’s a living, working blueprint for how we show up for one another and build the future we all deserve,” says Innamorato.

All in Allegheny offers a clear example of what it means to be a Forward With Families county. Its priorities align closely with the five focus areas of Forward With Families: Health & Well-Being, Child Care & Caregiving, Education & Employment, Housing & Food, Savings & Cash. The administration has also shown a commitment to transparency and measurement, implementing a dynamic dashboard that tracks the progress of each of the 91 action items. To date, 98 percent of all initiatives have been either started or completed.

Here is just a sample of the initiatives that match Forward With Families’ focus areas:

Housing & Food: Allegheny County completed the “500 by 500” initiative, identifying 500 affordable housing units within the administration’s first 500 days and making them available for people who are unhoused or living in shelters.

Health & Well-Being: The county expanded access to the Hello Baby network, connecting families with new babies to home-visiting programs and critical early supports.

Education & Employment: Following Allegheny County’s commitment to connecting more residents to paid training programs for good-paying jobs, more than 350 Allegheny County residents have enrolled in newly registered apprenticeships or on-the-job training opportunities supported by local workforce development funding.

Becoming a Forward With Families county doesn’t mean starting from scratch. It means recognizing the building blocks already in place and connecting that work to a broader strategy for scale, alignment, and shared learning.

For Allegheny County, Forward With Families offers a unifying frame that connects its local efforts to a growing national movement of leaders working across sectors and systems to deliver for families.

And as more counties and communities step forward, that network – and its impact – will continue to grow.

Learn more about Forward With Families.