In the coming days, an in-depth, foundation-funded report will be released on the inner workings and looming challenges for the city government under a new mayoral administration, including staffing shortages in key departments.

The report is based on copious research and dozens of interviews with municipal workers in the final months of the Mayor Bill Peduto’s administration conducted by an independent team of consultants.

The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Heinz Endowments* conceived and funded the project with the goal of both assisting in the mayoral transition and providing the public with a comprehensive picture of Pittsburgh’s public sector as Mayor Ed Gainey begins his historic administration.

The initial idea for the report came last spring after Gainey’s victory in the Democratic primary.

“The Pittsburgh Foundation, in conversation with The Heinz Endowments, really started to think about ways that we could support a smooth transition,” said Phil Koch, vice president of policy and community impact for the Pittsburgh Foundation. “We know that times of transition and change can be tumultuous.”

The Thomas Consulting Group, which produced a similar city guidebook during New Orleans’ 2017 mayoral transition, created the report. Though it has not yet been released publicly, the group’s CEO highlighted a top issue for the city.

“The City of Pittsburgh is facing critical staffing shortages in several key departments such as Public Works, Mobility and Infrastructure, and EMS,” said Michelle Thomas, CEO of the consulting firm. “COVID-19 has only put more of a strain on staffing, as it has with most cities. Many of the staff in key departments are nearing retirement, which could continue to pose a problem over the next couple of years.”

Koch and his colleagues said the process that led to the report began with research on other cities that recently had similar elections. The foundations then solicited proposals from several private consulting firms that specialize in advising municipal transitions. They selected the Thomas Consulting Group, which also advised United States Sen. Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) during his early days as mayor of Newark. 

One of the company’s main tasks was creating a report for the new administration, which Koch described as a “deep dive into all the departments and related entities to make sure all the information is documented so that the new administration isn’t searching for that info or trying to dig it up in their first 100 days.” 

In addition to this previous experience, Pittsburgh Foundation vice president  of communications Doug Root said the firm won the contract due to their competitive asking price and more holistic approach to research compared to the other proposals, which focused more on city finances.

The foundations approached both Gainey and Republican nominee Tony Moreno to see if the candidates would welcome such outside assistance. With approval from both camps and the cooperation of the outgoing Peduto administration, research commenced in the late summer. 

The Pittsburgh Foundation and Heinz Endowments contributed a combined $250,000 to finance the project. The budget covered the labor of eight consultants working full time for three months. The consultants finished their data gathering around Election Day in November, and briefed the newly-anointed Gainey administration the next week.

Jake Pawlak, Gainey’s nominee for director of the Office of Budget and Management, did not discuss specifics, but said the initial findings of the report were useful, if largely in line with their expectations.

“I wouldn’t characterize the findings to be surprising,” said Pawlak. “The report has allowed our team to identify and address systems and processes that have room for improvement.”

Peduto could not be reached for comment for this story.

The final product will include an executive summary as well as individual chapters on 23 city departments and related entities. “As long as the department or the authority reported to the mayor, or the mayor had some control over that department or authority, we included that in the city guide book,” said Koch. “On average, I’d say each of those reports range anywhere from 25 to 55 pages per department.”

Neither Gainey’s administration nor the foundations shared text of the guidebook with PublicSource. According to Thomas, the text explores the day-to-day functioning of urban government and larger issues facing the city.

Root of the Pittsburgh Foundation said the report will be published on their website before the end of January, and will eventually migrate to the city’s website.

The Peduto administration collaborated closely with the city’s network of large charitable foundations on a number of policies. Whether Gainey will follow a similar strategy remains to be seen.  

“Mayor Gainey understands the importance of civic partnerships and will work with the philanthropic community to advance priorities that improve the quality of life for all Pittsburghers,” Pawlak said. “We plan to meet with these partners regularly to keep them informed of our Administration’s priorities and how we can collaborate on solutions.”

*PublicSource receives funding from The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Heinz Endowments.

Bill O’Toole is a reporter based in Pittsburgh. He can be reached at botoole12@gmail.com.

The post Deep dive into city departments reveals challenges for Gainey administration appeared first on PublicSource. PublicSource is a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. Visit www.publicsource.org to read more.

While Pittsburgh frequently ranks highly on listicles of America’s cheapest cities, many residents struggle to find and keep affordable homes amid rising rents, longstanding income inequality and the ongoing disruption of the pandemic.

Many observers pointed to frustrations over this issue as a motivator for Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey’s historic victory last year. Gainey has recently said he supports inclusionary zoning as a tool to increase the supply and distribution of low-cost housing in the city.

To help you understand and navigate affordable housing in Pittsburgh, we’ve compiled the following information and list of resources. 

State of the market

Though the city’s overall population has been essentially flat for the last decade, experts and residents say the housing market has been volatile. 

“The market in Pittsburgh has shifted rapidly,” said Lena Andrews, director of real estate development for local nonprofit ACTION-Housing. “We’ve seen a lot of neighborhoods where rents have increased really quickly, and wages haven’t increased at the same speed. So a lot of people who were able to find housing before have found themselves unable to do that.”

Rising housing costs are seen by many housing advocates as a significant factor in the decline of Pittsburgh’s Black population over the last decade. 

According to a study from ApartmentList.com, rental prices in the City of Pittsburgh increased by 8.85% from September 2020 through September 2021. The average rent for a studio apartment is around $1,424, while the average rent for a 3-bedroom apartment is $1,822.

2021 data from RENTCafe lists Carrick as the most affordable neighborhood in the city, with average rents of $695 per month. East Liberty, Morningside, Highland Park and Larimer were tied for most expensive, with average rents of $1,872.

What is ‘affordable housing’ and who qualifies?

The standard for affordability comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development [HUD], which stipulates that an affordable dwelling, including utilities, should cost the resident no more than 30% of their total income. 

To be eligible for officially designated affordable housing, prospective tenants must prove their income is a certain percentage below the Area Median Income [AMI] in their region, depending on how those units are classified. In many cases, multi-family affordable developments set aside units for varying income levels.  

According to data from HUD and the Pittsburgh Urban Redevelopment Authority [URA], the AMI for a single person in the Pittsburgh region was $59,400 in 2021, while the AMI for a family of four was $84,800. A single resident making 80% of the region’s AMI receives $47,500 in income, while the family of four receives $67,850.   

Across the Pittsburgh region a wage of $15 an hour is not enough to secure a two-bedroom apartment. In Lawrenceville, for instance, the needed wage is $22.50, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

What kinds of affordable homes are available in Pittsburgh?

In the Pittsburgh area, affordable housing mainly falls into three main categories:

Public housing

Public housing refers to domiciles directly managed by the local city or county housing authority, including larger, multi-family developments such as Northview Heights in the North Side and Murray Towers in Squirrel Hill. Often, certain dwellings will be reserved for individuals with disabilities, senior citizens or veterans.

Information on how to apply and which homes are available can be found on the respective websites for the city and county housing authorities.

Housing Choice Voucher program (Section 8)

Popularly known as Section 8, the Housing Choice Voucher program provides rental assistance by paying subsidies to private landlords on behalf of low-income tenants. HUD sets regulations while local housing authorities administer the program in their respective communities. 

The City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County housing authorities both maintain lists of local landlords participating in the program. Currently, the waiting lists for the city and county are closed to applicants. 

Low-income housing tax credit program

Created in 1986, the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program [LIHTC] is a federal subsidy that grants tax credits to developers in return for the construction, maintenance or rehabilitation of affordable homes.

Both for-profit and nonprofit developers may participate in the program. Locally, funding is allocated by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. 

Resources

In addition to managing public housing and maintaining property databases, the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County housing authorities provide referrals and information services to help prospective tenants find housing.

The Pittsburgh region has a variety of community groups and nonprofit organizations dedicated to affordable housing such as the Hazelwood Initiative, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Pittsburgh and the aforementioned ACTION-Housing. 

In case of emergency

If you or a loved one is in urgent need of housing for any reason, please consult this list of local shelters. 

Know your rights

Under the Fair Housing Act of 1968, it is illegal for landlords to discriminate against prospective or current tenants on the basis of race, religion, gender, disability, national origin or familial status. Behaviors considered discriminatory under the law include falsely claiming a unit is unavailable, limiting a person’s access to facilities, and delaying or skipping required maintenance on the domicile.

If you suspect a landlord of engaging in discriminatory business practices, you can report discrimination to HUD over the phone, online or via the mail.

Locally, complaints can be filed with the Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations and the Allegheny County Human Relations Commission, both of which investigate discrimination in housing, employment and public services across the city and county.

For those farther out, nonprofits such as Fair Housing Partnership of Greater Pittsburgh and Fair Housing Law Center provide free information and legal aid to victims of discrimination across the entire Pittsburgh region.

A housing needs assessment presented to the city’s Affordable Housing Task Force in 2016 reported that the city’s supply of low-cost housing lagged behind demand by nearly 15,000 units, and severe shortages remain. In an interview with PublicSource at the end of December 2021, Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh [HACP] Executive Director Caster Binion called the city’s situation “a crisis.”

How do we get more affordable housing in Pittsburgh?

Jerry Dickinson, a pro-bono tenants rights attorney and current candidate to succeed U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Forest Hills), noted that while every city in the nation is grappling with rising rents and economic displacement, Pittsburgh’s high degree of segregation between Black and white residents makes the problem even more pressing.

“We have some of the worst racial disparities in the United States,” said Dickinson. “Affordable housing is at the core of that.” 

Increasing the region’s supply of affordable homes would require a wide range of reforms across many layers of government.

To share your views, reach out to your member of city or county councils as well as Gainey, who has said he’s in the process of drafting a complete housing policy for his administration. 

Community groups like Lawrenceville United, The Hill Community Development Corporation and Neighborhood Allies regularly advocate on housing issues.

For regular updates, stay tuned to PublicSource’s Develop PGH email newsletter.

Bill O’Toole is a reporter based in Pittsburgh. He can be reached at botoole12@gmail.com.

The post Pittsburgh lacks affordable housing for everyone. Here are key resources for starting your search. appeared first on PublicSource. PublicSource is a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. Visit www.publicsource.org to read more.