Members claim lack of communication from mayor over funding for affordable housing
Another plan to help quell Pittsburgh’s growing number of people experiencing homelessness is making its way through City Hall, but a lack of communication between the mayor’s office and city council members may delay the progress.
As part of a federal initiative, Pittsburgh received about $8.3 million to help the homeless and those at risk of homelessness. About $6 million of that money could go to the Urban Redevelopment Authority to develop more affordable rental units, according to a plan submitted to council by Mayor Ed Gainey’s administration.
But City Council members think that money could be better spent on other initiatives to help those vulnerable populations and were frustrated over the lack of communication from the administration.
“It’s not clear what we’re doing,” Councilwoman Barb Warwick said at a meeting Wednesday.
In fall 2022, council members created their own committee, chaired by Councilman Anthony Coghill, to look into solutions for the growing number of unhoused people. The main focus of the committee has been on how to get immediate support to people experiencing homelessness.
One of the committee’s ideas to create a tiny house village where people experiencing homelessness could live for a period of time has gained more traction recently, but is currently held up in the city’s Planning Commission.
Zoning Administrator Corey Layman and the mayor’s administration have voiced concerns that the tiny home villages would mean the city would have to decommission the current tent encampments, but advocates have said that’s not the case.
The city and Allegheny County have both been criticized for the lack of support for the unhoused population, particularly after the closure of the Smithfield Street shelter last year. City officials also received backlash last summer when they released new guidelines for encampments that gave the city the ability to order people to leave the camps. Advocates said these new guidelines weren’t helpful because there weren’t enough shelter beds for people to go to.
“We have an immediate problem right now that I don’t feel like we’re putting money into,” Mr. Coghill said Wednesday at the meeting.
The situation reached a point where some of Pittsburgh’s unhoused were starting to think they would have to leave the city to find somewhere to live.
Throughout the meeting Wednesday, Mr. Coghill frequently expressed his frustration with the lack of communication from the mayor’s office.
“I would’ve definitely changed the distribution amount and if the administration is the sole entity that divided this money up, why was the administration not speaking to council on this when we’re working on the same issue?” he asked.
He pointed to failures from the mayor’s robust communications department, which has seven employees compared to previous mayors who would have one or two staffers in that department.
The mayor’s office did not respond to request for comment.
Patrick Cornell, the city’s chief financial officer, said that emails had been sent to council members about the plan.
“I don’t want emails,” Mr. Coghill said. “I want briefings. We’re talking millions of dollars.”
The plan also allocated $1.5 million to non-congregant shelters, $500,000 for supportive services and about $830,000 for administration and planning.
Council members did have a closed-door briefing on the package of bills last week, but during Wednesday’s discussion there were still questions about what the money was going to be spent on.
“Even with the 1.5 million, it seems totally unclear,” Ms. Warwick said. “It would be nice to know exactly what is going to be done. What are we doing in the next month? What’s the six-month plan?”
Multiple council members said they would have liked to see greater allocations go toward more immediate needs.
The nearly $6 million going to the URA for affordable rental units, at the earliest, won’t be ready for the people who need them for about 18 to 24 months, according to Quianna Wassler, the URA’s chief housing officer. She estimates the money will be able to build between 73 and 91 units.
Once they are ready, she said, it can help free up shelter beds by moving people from the shelters into the rental units, opening up spaces for people with more immediate shelter needs.
Councilman Bob Charland said he was supportive of the plan for this reason. “One of our biggest needs is not just the shelters, which we see as the immediate need, but it’s also freeing up those shelter beds by moving folks into more stable housing,” he said.
A recent report from Harvard University found that there are generally not enough low-cost rental units available in Pittsburgh. These units would specifically be for people experiencing homelessness.
Because of the urgency, members decided to give preliminary approval to the plan on Wednesday, but said if there isn’t a meeting with the mayor’s administration before the final vote on Tuesday, they will likely hold the legislation for further review and possible amendments.
Mr. Coghill and Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith abstained from the preliminary vote on Wednesday.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has already approved Pittsburgh’s plan for the funds, and if Council would not approve the legislation, the plan would have to be changed and resubmitted, which would take at least 45 days.
“These set of bills are kind of the punching bag for our frustration,” councilwoman Erika Strassburger said. “We want to be part of the conversation … this is something I think we need to have quarterly briefings on.”