ACTION-Housing

We invite you to join representatives from ACTION-Housing, Housing and Urban Development, Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, Allegheny Couny Housing Authority, and others in sharing helpful information on local housing resources as part of State Representative Sara Innamorato's upcoming Housing webinar this Thursday at 11:00am. Panelists will review programs benefitting renters and homeowners and talk about how to access them. To attend the webinar, please register online a...t: www.repInnamorato.com See you there!

This past Friday, ACTION was proud to join the Trade Institute of Pittsburgh in celebrating the completion of their workforce housing project in Homewood. The project entailed the complete rehabilitation of a once-abandoned duplex in Homewood. Located one block from the Trade Institute's training facility, this duplex will create stable, affordable housing for TIP trainees as they learn building trades, gain employment, and establish solid rental records in an effort to even...tually establish permanent living situations throughout the Pittsburgh area. We'd like to extend our thanks to Senator Jay Costa, Ed Gainey, Office of the Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, Mayor Bill Peduto, Councilman Rev. Ricky Burgess, Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA), Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County Government, Neighborhood Allies, The Benter Foundation, and Pittsburgh Child Guidance Foundation for their support and making this vision come to fruition! Learn more about the project in this 90.5FM WESA article:https://www.wesa.fm//trade-institute-of-pittsburgh-opens-w. Stay tuned for an upcoming walkthrough video to see what the final product looks like from the inside!

If you are a homeowner struggling to make your payments due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, you may be eligible for assistance. Avoid predatory COVID mortgage relief scams by ensuring you work with a HUD-approved housing counselor. Check out this helpful link for free advice and how to start the process of getting back on track with mortgage payments.... https://www.covidhelpforhome.org/

Check out this before and after as we clean the brickwork at the Centre Avenue YMCA - we are almost done with this renovation that will preserve a historic building and 74 units of affordable housing in the middle of the Hill District.

It was wonderful to have Congressman U.S. Representative Mike Doyle, Rep. Dwight Evans, State Representative Jake Wheatley, Michael Polite from Beacon Communities/the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh, Aaron Gibson from the YMCA, and Ashley McBride from For Our Future Pennsylvania (not pictured) at the newly renovated Centre Avenue Housing to discuss the importance of approving more federal funding for affordable housing. The Build Back Better Act would substantially increase federal funds for affordable housing, allowing organizations like ACTION-Housing to greatly increase the production of affordable homes all over the country.

Have you recently been inspired by the design of a building here in Pittsburgh? If so, make your voice be heard by voting for your favorite architecture projects in the AIA Pittsburgh Design Pittsburgh 2021 People’s Choice Award! There are multiple categories for varying project sizes. Voting is open now and ends on Thursday, September 24th, so vote now! Cast your vote here: https://link.edgepilot.com/s/0a91cc/7abGFgUdAES62iXQuNh8rA

MyPlace Alumni! We look forward to seeing you at the cookout on September 18 from 2pm-6pm. Contact us for more details at: [email protected]... Also, MyPlace Alumni and current MyPlace members can be the first to view the new fitness center for MyPlace and learn about upcoming classes and programs launching this Fall!

As of today, the Allegheny County Emergency Rental Assistance Program has expended roughly $30 million in rental and utility assistance, stabilizing over 5000 households. $22 million of this funding was given out in the last two months alone. For more data on the program, see the public dashboard at https://www.alleghenycountyanalytics.us//allegheny-county/ ... For more information on ERAP and to apply, visit www.covidrentrelief.alleghenycounty.us

Please join us for a MyPlace Alumni Cookout! Saturday, September 18 from 2pm-6pm Food, Festivities and Fun!... *This event is for MyPlace alumni and current MyPlace members only* Learn more about the MyPlace Alumni Center and event details, please RSVP by September 10th by emailing [email protected] . See you there!

When the moratorium on evictions ended on July 31, so did a moratorium on foreclosures on delinquent home mortgages. Thousands of Pennsylvanians could be at risk of losing their homes. I think it’s going to be very serious, says Dan Sullivan, a mortgage expert at ACTION-Housing. Our own Dan Sullivan was recently featured in a KDKA-TV segment explaining the anticipated wave of foreclosure filings. However, it is not too late for any homeowner to avoid foreclosure. ... Learn more about potential ways to prevent foreclosure by watching this segment: https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com//mortgage-foreclosure-mor/

Today is The Pittsburgh Foundation's one day fundraising event to raise money for organizations addressing critical needs (such as housing) in Pittsburgh! Donate to ACTION-Housing using the link below and donations will be matched by a pool raised by The Pittsburgh Foundation. We are excited to be included in this event - we will also be appearing on Table Magazine's Instagram live at noon to talk more about our work!

The national moratorium on evictions expires this Saturdayallowing landlords to start or continue eviction proceedings in most states. An estimated $23 billion in all is outstanding, with about $3,800 per average household in arrears. Locally, 13.8% of Allegheny County renting households owe back rent with an average of $3,127 owed per renting household. There is still help available! If you or someone you know needs rental assistance, please visit: www.covidrentrelief.alle...ghenycounty.us In the meantime, we encourage you to read this New York Times op-ed article that highlights the issues surrounding the upcoming wave of mass-evictions and suggests some ideas that may help expand state and local coverage of rental assistance programs throughout the country. https://www.nytimes.com//op/covid-eviction-moratorium.html

On July 21st, 2021, the White House hosted a second online eviction prevention convening to ensure state and local governments work as quickly as possible to get rental assistance to families in need. The event featured Administration officials as well as speakers from cities across the country sharing best practices to prevent evictions. ACTION-Housing's own, Kyle Webster, was one of the featured speakers! Kyle talked about the collaborative elements and data sharing model...s of the Rental Assistance Program for Pittsburgh and Allegheny County and how we have been able to track data to evaluate the effectiveness of the program in hopes of making the payment process as quick and efficient as possible. You can see Kyle at the 42:00 minute mark. Check out the video below! https://youtu.be/AedcPrpqpUY?t=2524

Thanks to Team PSBG and to Global Links for supplying PPE and other necessities and staffing our new shelter space in our McKeesport Downtown Housing building. The space is looking great and opened just in time for winter.

Congratulations to our Executive Director Larry Swanson on being awarded the Moe Coleman award from University of Pittsburgh - Institute of Politics for his lifelong dedication to community service!

Krause Commons is a star! We are proud to announce that Krause Commons (2615 Murray Avenue, also known as Squirrel Hill Gateway Lofts) has earned the Energy Star from the United States Environmental Protection Agency! According to the EPA, this achievement demonstrates ACTION's dedication to designing and building energy efficient multifamily high-rise buildings. As a result, residents living at Krause Commons will benefit from lower utility bills, as well as a high construc...tion quality, durability, and comfort. Now that the property has been recognized, the energy usage data will be benchmarked for at least two years so we can track the building's energy and water consumption, identify investment priories, and verify the result of improvements made over time. Krause Commons will now be listed on the EPA's Multifamily High Rise registry at www.energystar.gov/mfhr. This achievement couldn't be possible without the expertise and dedication of the the Krause Commons development team: 4080 Architecture, Mosites Construction and Development, Iams Consulting LLC, Building Performance Architecture, and our partner Jewish Residential Services. And thank you to our funders at Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh for setting high sustainability goals for affordable housing!

It’s time for another Walk-Through Wednesday! This week’s featured project is Sixth Ward Flats, located in Doughboy Square in Lawrenceville. This development consists of two buildings containing a combined 35 units of affordable housing and 1,000 sq. ft. of commercial space for community-oriented businesses or organizations to lease. Additionally, this project will have amenities like an outdoor patio, bike parking, and energy efficient systems. Construction of the two buildings is set to be completed in 2021 so keep a lookout for more walkthrough videos of the interior of the building early next year!

Good morning friends and supporters of ACTION-Housing! We are participating in Giving Tuesday today through #GiveBigPittsburgh all donations go towards supporting our work of providing housing and services for our region’s most vulnerable residents.

Get ready for another Walk-Through Wednesday! We’re back Downtown at the Cold Weather Shelter in the historic Smithfield United Church of Christ for this week’s Walk-Through Wednesday. We are proud to announce the shelter is up and running as of Monday November 15thjust in time for the first snow of the season! This project was truly a team effort. With direction from ACTION staff, hard work from Nelcon Inc General Contracting, and assistance from the City of Pittsburgh - Of...fice of the Mayor, Allegheny County Department of Human Services, Pittsburgh Mercy, and Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority throughout this summer and fall, we have been able to accomplish the Church’s goal of completing improvements to the shelter before winter begins. The video below shows the final stage of construction before the shelter was completed. Also, make sure to check out our first Cold Weather Shelter tour video from our August 5th post.

We have been notified that a pipe has burst at our property at 1500 Brighton Place in the North Side. We will be fixing the pipe tomorrow and service should be restored to our residents by Tuesday. We apologize for the inconvenience!

ACTION is proud to announce that Operation Better Block's James T. Givner Building project has closed! It took over three years of hard work between ACTION and OBB staff to get to this point, but this day could not have happened without support from the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA), Hillman Foundation, RK Mellon Foundation, and Heinz Endowments. We look forward to getting this project into construction and will have more exciting information to share soon!

Today is election day. Have you voted yet? If not, please stop reading this immediately, go out and vote, then come back and finish reading this post! It is ACTION-Housing’s mission to empower people and there is no better form of empowerment than voting. Throughout the fall, ACTION has been working across our programs to make it easier for our tenants and clients to vote. We are especially proud of how many youth in our MyPlace programs have registered to vote through this i...nitiative. On October 14th, ACTION-Housing’s MyPlace Program held a Register to Vote event at the Uptown Lofts building for young adults across the MyPlace programs who were either not registered to vote or wanted more information about the upcoming election. The event was a success! The young adults appropriately discussed with MyPlace staff the importance of their vote and having their voices heard. MyPlace staff and young adults discussed the locations of polling places in their specific neighborhoods and the process of submitting mail in ballots. MyPlace staff followed up with clients to ensure they know their polling location so that everyone is ready to vote today. Check out our photos of young people engaging in democracy!

What a beautiful day for a tree planting! Thank you to TreeVitalize Pittsburgh for planting new street trees in front of the Centre Avenue YMCA as a part of the renovation - we are excited to help build the Hill District's tree canopy!

For the past eight years on the last Wednesday of October, ACTION-Housing has held its Annual Think Pink Day. Teresa and I started this day of remembrance after both of our moms were diagnosed with breast cancer. One of our mothers has died from this disease and the other is currently a 10-year survivor. We wanted to do something to honor not only our mothers, but also anyone with a cancer diagnosis. For a $5 donation, you can participate in Think Pink Day where you are able ...to dress downideally wearing something pinkand will receive a small token of appreciation for your donation. The money raised is donated directly to the American Cancer Society. Think Pink Day is not just about our moms. It is about our families, friends, co-workers, clients, and their families (or maybe even about yourself) who have been or are currently affected by this disease. It is ACTION’s mission to help those in need when they need it the most and that rings true this year especially due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. So, if we can make any kind of difference in someone’s life, we will. Whether you participated in Think Pink Day or not, I thank you from the bottom of mine and Teresa’s heart for all that everyone does at ACTION. Stay safe and well, Pam

Being a non-profit organization, ACTION-Housing is always looking for creative way to increase funding for our programs and projects. ACTION has set up an Amazon Smile account where all purchases made using this link: smile.amazon.com/ch/25-0965469 on October 13th and 14th (amazon prime days) will generate donations from Amazon directly to ACTION-Housing, Inc. There is no cost to you-the purchaser. You get great deals and ACTION gets a donation, it's a win-win! If you plan on ordering from Amazon soon, please make some of your purchases on October 13th or 14th using our link: smile.amazon.com/ch/25-0965469. We appreciate your support!

Good Morning! We invite you to join us LIVE for the Western PA Making Housing Matter Press Conference coming up this morning at 10:00am. Speakers will include elected officials from both sides of our state, various housing agencies, and community partners and advocates. This press conference will address housing issues in our region, including COVID19 rental relief programs, and the public will have an opportunity to ask questions throughout the facebook live event. We strong...ly encourage you to tune in via State Representative Rep. Dwight Evans facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=909536856627917 Get ready to learn, prepare your questions, and we'll see you at 10:00! See more

It’s time for another Walk-Through Wednesday! The Centre Avenue YMCA, located in the Hill District, was built in 1922 by African Americans and for the African American community in the Hill District. This historic building served as a community center throughout the 1900s and housed many black people visiting Pittsburgh, including many jazz musicians, before they could stay in hotels downtown. Today it still houses residents on the third and fourth floors as the first two flo...ors and the basement are being renovated. When it's complete, this will house 73 single-occupancy affordable units and community space. Since the last video, the construction crew has been hard at work making the building ADA accessible by putting in an elevator shaft through the building. They're starting to put up walls on the main floor and are in the process of renovating the second floor living spaces and bathrooms. They have also been making a variety of general repairs to the building. When renovations are complete on the first two floors, construction will begin on the third and fourth floors. Keep an eye out for more walkthrough Wednesdays to see the progress being made. See more