About Us
The Wellness Collective empowers communities from Metro Detroit to Southwest PA, through mutual aid, trauma-informed care, and prosocial programming that address critical needs like housing insecurity, resource access, and economic stability. By fostering resilience, equity, and healing, we create opportunities for individuals and families to overcome barriers and build brighter futures. Rooted in care and collective power, we reimagine what is possible when people—not systems—are at the center, strengthening communities where everyone has the chance to thrive.
The Wellness Collective currently serves communities in Southwestern PA, bringing neighbors together around a shared mission: to restore and maintain power and interdependence in our communities through mutual aid, trauma-informed care, and prosocial programming. By addressing critical needs such as housing insecurity, economic stability, and community support, we empower neighbors to build resilience, foster relationships, and create a future rooted in solidarity, care, and collective healing.
Our Rise and Thrive Development model is a cornerstone of this mission, tackling the pressing issue of accessible and affordable housing. By combining rent-to-own prefabricated starter homes with robust supportive services, we provide a sustainable pathway for residents who can afford rent but are excluded from traditional housing opportunities due to credit or cosigner requirements. This initiative not only addresses housing insecurity but also catalyzes economic advancement, community revitalization, and intergenerational wealth-building. In partnership with local training and educational institutions, we ensure participants have the stability they need to focus on academic and career goals, free from the threat of losing their homes.
At the heart of our work is a commitment to trauma-informed and prosocial programming, designed to promote individual, collective, and generational healing. We recognize that many of the challenges our neighbors face—whether rooted in housing instability, economic hardship, or social disconnection—are compounded by past traumas. By creating spaces of safety, empowerment, and support, we help individuals and families not only recover but also build stronger foundations for future success.
As neighbors, our interests are shared. We support one another through challenges, knowing that the well-being of individuals strengthens the whole community. In 2020 alone, The Wellness Collective assisted over 500 families in Allegheny County, offering essential resources like food, clothing, housing support, and opportunities for healing and growth. By listening to our neighbors, facilitating resource redistribution, and creating opportunities like the Rise and Thrive Development program, we provide practical solutions that empower individuals to thrive.
Together, we are redefining what is possible when communities place people at the center. By prioritizing equity, respect, trauma-informed care, and mutual aid, The Wellness Collective is building a model that uplifts every neighbor. We restore stability, strengthen resiliency, and open doors to new opportunities for those ready to succeed—if only they are given the chance to rise and thrive.
Join us in this mission. Whether you contribute your time, resources, or skills, your support strengthens our ability to care for one another. Together, we can reimagine a future built on shared power, healing, and interdependence.
How it Works
Neighbors become members of the collective and agree to pay whatever monthly amount that they feel comfortable with. Wellness providers are made available to our neighbors seeking support. Neighbors who reach out to The Collective are connected to the appropriate provider(s) or approved for an agreed upon monetary payment through The Collective.
Guidelines
Funds are made available for services and supports that aid in the establishing and re-establishing of basic needs as defined by Maslow.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need is the theory of psychological motivation that outlines five major areas of our lives that must be stabilized in order for us to be healthy and successful. The lower tiers (deficiency needs) must be satisfied before the upper-most (growth needs) can be achieved. We should note that we do not support nor do we believe in the bigotry and ablism that Maslow framed much of his work around. The hierarchy of need is simply a tool for guidance with understanding that it is as imperfect as the creator.
Funding
Funding for The Collective will be raised through foundation dollars, fundraisers, social enterprise, and memberships.
Funding Distribution
All incoming funding will be allocated and disbursed through the Community Bank and assigned to a specific branch or “general.”
Maslow's Hierarchy of Need
Shanon Williams-Hughes
Founder/Director of Programs & Services
The Wellness Collective is a love project created by Shanon Williams, a long time social worker, activist, and advocate. Over the past 10+ years, Shanon has dedicated herself to the people in the Greater Pittsburgh Area. Shanon has raised thousands of dollars for individuals and families in need, supported and created opportunities for countless people. It has been through this heart work that she came to realize need is a matter of access, not availability.
"The resources and support needed is available - we just have to be intentional about helping our fellow neighbors as we would want to be helped ourselves." --Shanon Williams
The Wellness Collective is an act of love and intentionality.
Christopher McAneny
Director of Housing & Development
Chris McAneny, the founder and CEO of Rise and Thrive Development, brings over 20 years of experience in nonprofit management, program creation, and program delivery. Chris was the founder and former Director of 3E Now, a non-profit organization that offered violence prevention education to thousands of teenagers and young adults in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Chris is a certified Dialectical Therapy Skills instructor and has managed family support programs in local homeless shelters. He has created and led college and career support programs for youth facing housing insecurity in Allegheny County.
With a Sustainable Design Certificate from Boston Architectural College, Chris has combined his expertise in architectural design
with a deep commitment to social impact.
Throughout his career, Chris has focused on working with trauma-stricken communities, understanding their unique challenges, and developing tailored solutions to meet their basic needs while building pathways for everyone to reach the stars. His extensive experience has equipped him with the skills and knowledge to effectively manage and execute housing projects, providing shelter and supporting residents' overall well-being.
Board of Advisors
Andre Scott, MSP
Able Vision , LLC
The collective is valuable because it is formed based on the desire to assist others which will lead to holistic growth for all involved.
It connects the needs of the community directly to resources with the intent to empower as opposed to carry.
The multiple levels of support and various providers will ensure the person is able to feel heard, not just serviced.
Tammy Thompson
Circles Greater Pittsburgh
I find the Wellness Collective valuable because staying connected to families and being aware of the needs and crises they endure is important to me. We’ve been looking for additional ways to directly support families in need and we believe collaborating with the Wellness Collective is a great way to do it.
Alyssa Cypher, MPAInside Our Minds
As a community, thinking about how we can organize and support each other through mutual aid is vital. The Wellness Collective offers an amazing safety net to anyone who is going through a difficult time and could benefit from support, connection, and care.
Martyia McCrayLRC Janitorial, LLC
Support services like The Wellness Collective helps to strengthen our communities. Unfortunate life events are inevitable. A helpful hand in these moments can help to keep the people of our communities from devastating life altering decisions, give kids a sense of security, and provide a foundation for people who feel their world is crashing in on them.
Pierce Robinson
I think the collective is critical because it streamlines the process of providing help and resources to some of our neighbors in situations where time is of the essence.
Sarah Cook
I believe in The Wellness Collective because the system is designed to keep folks down, financially. The Wellness Collective is not going to expect a "good" credit score, or be a predatory lender. It's folks helping other folks out when in need.
Dana Bishop-RootBraddock Carnegie Library Association
The Wellness Collective organizes and coordinates the heart work of mutual aid, and our desire to support, protect and love each other. We all need. And we all have the capcity to give. Collectively, the power to meet each others needs is a life giving and sustaining practice of how we get through the days even when the fire is burning and the sorrow is an ocean.
Past Board of Advisors
Andre Scott, MSP
Able Vision , LLC
The collective is valuable because it is formed based on the desire to assist others which will lead to holistic growth for all involved.
It connects the needs of the community directly to resources with the intent to empower as opposed to carry.
The multiple levels of support and various providers will ensure the person is able to feel heard, not just serviced.
Tammy Thompson
Circles Greater Pittsburgh
I find the Wellness Collective valuable because staying connected to families and being aware of the needs and crises they endure is important to me. We’ve been looking for additional ways to directly support families in need and we believe collaborating with the Wellness Collective is a great way to do it.
Alyssa Cypher, MPAInside Our Minds
As a community, thinking about how we can organize and support each other through mutual aid is vital. The Wellness Collective offers an amazing safety net to anyone who is going through a difficult time and could benefit from support, connection, and care.
Martyia McCrayLRC Janitorial, LLC
Support services like The Wellness Collective helps to strengthen our communities. Unfortunate life events are inevitable. A helpful hand in these moments can help to keep the people of our communities from devastating life altering decisions, give kids a sense of security, and provide a foundation for people who feel their world is crashing in on them.
Pierce Robinson
I think the collective is critical because it streamlines the process of providing help and resources to some of our neighbors in situations where time is of the essence.
Sarah Cook
I believe in The Wellness Collective because the system is designed to keep folks down, financially. The Wellness Collective is not going to expect a "good" credit score, or be a predatory lender. It's folks helping other folks out when in need.
Dana Bishop-RootBraddock Carnegie Library Association
The Wellness Collective organizes and coordinates the heart work of mutual aid, and our desire to support, protect and love each other. We all need. And we all have the capcity to give. Collectively, the power to meet each others needs is a life giving and sustaining practice of how we get through the days even when the fire is burning and the sorrow is an ocean.