Launch a public education campaign to share information with residents about programs that can help them stay in their homes

The Allegheny County Economic Development (ACED) Save Your Home hotline through the Allegheny County Residential Mortgage Program assists homeowners facing mortgage foreclosure by connecting them to public and private sector entities.

In Progress

ACED hired a Public Information Officer in the first quarter of 2024 and the Lead-Safe Program has hired an Outreach Coordinator to increase awareness of the program. The Public Information Officer is currently reviewing all existing marketing collateral and strategies to streamline content and delivery.

ACED will convene Housing Program Partners to discuss collaborative campaign in late 2024.

Launch a significant new program that will make hundreds of permanent, deeply affordable housing units available to people exiting homelessness

Expanding partnerships between the Department of Human Services (DHS), housing authorities, local developers, Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, and private landlords to increase affordable housing opportunities. The county will take the lead on bringing affordable housing resources together to leverage programs and funding to support people experiencing homelessness so that they can transition to safe, permanent, and affordable housing more quickly. The Department of Human Services will create a supportive services program for those experiencing homelessness that will follow them to permanent housing, which should open the door for more developers and landlords to prioritize serving this population.

  Completed

On June 6, 2024, County Executive Innamorato announced “500 in 500”, to move people from shelter into affordable housing. The goal is to identify 500 affordable housing units in the next 500 days and to make those units available for people living in shelters or who are unhoused. The 500 in 500 initiative is a collaborative effort by county and local government agencies, foundations, nonprofit organizations, the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, and regional landlords and developers.

In the first 100 days of the “500 in 500” program, 98 housing units were created and 75 people have been housed.

Efforts to identify units include:

Working with the Allegheny County Housing Authority (ACHA) to greatly increase the number of public housing units available to those currently living in shelters. In 2023, only 20 people moved from a homeless shelter into a public housing unit. With the new partnership, ACHA identifies units and DHS matches people to those units. Since the beginning of this initiative, 21 people have already received housing.

Deploying American Rescue Plan funds in partnership with nonprofit developers to initially create as many as 39 new homes for formerly homeless individuals.

Coordinating with developers of Low-Income Housing Tax Credit developments to commit to making 10% of their units available to formerly homeless individuals.

Targeted acquisition of existing buildings (nursing homes, hotels, former convents) that can easily be converted to new housing units for people experiencing homelessness.

Acknowledging that everyone needs help after moving in, DHS is providing support to ensure that tenants, property managers, and landlords all have the support they need.

Advocate for more tax credits for affordable housing developers and federal project-based vouchers for low-income families

The county will explore the creation of a Housing Advocacy Committee to continue to educate and advocate at the congressional level to secure additional housing vouchers for Allegheny County residents for whom existing affordability requirements are too high.

In Progress

Allegheny County Economic Development (ACED) is working with the County Executive’s office as well as colleagues in the Mayor’s Office and the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA) to continue to bring more federal resources to our region to create more affordable housing opportunities. ACED is also engaged in a local economic development policy cohort that includes the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, the URA, and the City of Pittsburgh.

Work with the County Council to explore zoning reforms

Exploring opportunities for adaptive reuse of under-utilized nursing homes and other structures for affordable housing.

In Progress

As part of the county’s update to the comprehensive plan, Allegheny County Economic Development (ACED) will work to include model zoning ordinances as a resource for municipalities.

Introduce and scale model zoning ordinances to support affordable housing development

Updated zoning ordinances will be adopted across the county to support the development of affordable housing in every municipality. These efforts are in partnership with Allegheny County InterCOG Council, a collaboration between all municipalities in Allegheny County.

In Progress

As part of the county’s update to the comprehensive plan, Allegheny County Economic Development (ACED) will work to include model zoning ordinances as a resource for municipalities.

Support the development of affordable housing near public transit stations

In partnership with Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) and the Transit Oriented Development Program, PRT is investing in real estate development projects near stations and creates opportunities to develop mixed-income housing.

In Progress

The Innamorato Administration will work with municipalities, PRT, Allegheny County Economic Development (ACED), and state partners like the Department of Community & Economic Development and Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, to deliver high-quality, contextually dense, affordable housing near key transit corridors. Key to this work will be supporting the work of PRT’s Transit Oriented Communities program.

Create a Housing Advisory Board in the Health Department

A Housing Advisory Board will guide countywide efforts to keep residents in safe, affordable homes, protect renters, and create pathways to homeownership.

In Progress

In July 2024, the Allegheny County Board of Health gave final approval to the creation of a Housing Advisory Board. The creation of the Housing Advisory Board was approved by County Council on September 10, 2024, and applications to serve on the board are being received through October. It is anticipated that the initial board members will be approved by County Council by the end of 2024.

Expand the Allegheny Lead-Safe Homes Program

The Allegheny Lead-Safe Program offers free lead-paint testing and hires a certified lead-abatement contractor to treat lead paint for low- to moderate-income residents with young children living in older buildings. The program currently serves about 40 homes per year, and the county will apply for federal grants to expand this program.

  Completed

Allegheny County has applied to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development for increased funding for this program this year. If awarded, the $7,750,000.00 grant will allow Allegheny County Economic Development (ACED) to expand the Allegheny Lead-Safe Homes Program. The Lead-Safe program offers free lead-paint testing and hires a certified lead-abatement contractor to remediate lead paint for low- to moderate-income residents (both owners and renters) with young children living in older homes.

The program has supported lead abatement for more than 125 homes. Though the program is expanding, more than 600 children in Allegheny County were diagnosed with elevated blood levels in 2022 alone. The expanded funding from HUD is critical to increasing the scale of this program to more appropriately meet the need in Allegheny County.

Provide legal assistance to residents at risk of eviction

By launching a “Lawyer of the Day” program, Allegheny County will provide low-income tenants at risk of eviction with free legal counsel, in two municipalities outside the City of Pittsburgh where residents are experiencing high rates of eviction.

In Progress

Allegheny County has secured legal services for tenants facing eviction in two magisterial district courts for the next 12 months. Services provided by Neighborhood Legal Services launched in late September 2024, in the two MDJs with the highest rate of eviction filings in Allegheny County.

Work with County Council to invest in targeted rental assistance in the next County budget

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Emergency Rental Assistance Program provided over $150,000,000.00 directly to residents struggling with rent and utility costs. This helped 22,000 renters stay in their homes. Although the county cannot continue to operate rental assistance at this pandemic-necessitated scale, the Department of Human Services (DHS) continues to provide targeted support to help residents avoid eviction. The county will continue investing in these efforts to keep renters in the most need in their homes.

In Progress

The 2025 budget proposed by County Executive Innamorato includes an increased allocation to DHS to maximize funding leveraged from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. A portion of this additional funding will be used to sustain the wildly successful Rental Stabilization Program.

Work with the County Council to establish a permanent Housing Opportunity Fund

Similar to the Housing Opportunity Fund managed by the City of Pittsburgh, this fund represents a significant, multi-year commitment to invest in strategies that can address the affordable housing crisis, such as down payment assistance for first-time low- and middle-income homeowners or support for small landlords.

In Progress

The existing Allegheny Housing Development Fund (AHDF), managed by Allegheny County Economic Development (ACED), provides financing for the construction or renovation of affordable housing. It’s partially funded through the collection of fees on deed recordings. The Innamorato Administration is working with ACED to explore ways to sustainably expand the local funds available for this critical tool.