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Allegheny County’s plan to boost affordable housing has relieved pressure on shelters through its first 100 days but will not directly help everyone who are living on the streets and who have the most need, officials said.
County Executive Sara Innamorato said in June that she wants to identify 500 affordable housing units in 500 days. So far, the plan has placed 121 unhoused people into their own apartments, according to the most recent numbers available.
While the program aims to place unhoused individuals into stable, permanent housing, county Director of Housing Strategy Ed Nusser said the day to day is less about adding units and more about collaboration among local agencies to get people out of long-term shelter stays.
“We’re trying to de-silo county government to address a really pressing need for our unhoused neighbors,” Nusser said.
County officials want to collaborate with landlords and developers to make additional housing available, but that hasn't happened yet, Nusser said. Most of the units online through the program are pre-existing public housing units, Nusser said.
“They were sitting vacant longer, and there was not a clear system for getting those units filled,” Nusser said.
The proposal for 500 in 500 also discusses converting facilities like motels and nursing homes into permanent housing units. The county has not yet identified any suitable spaces to meet this goal, Nusser said.
“What this is founded on is really what everyone wants: more affordable housing,” said Courtney Lewis, special assistant to the director of the county’s Department of Human Services.
According to county data, at least 235 people in Allegheny County were experiencing unsheltered homelessness as of Oct. 28.
However, the program is not designed for the most vulnerable populations, Lewis said.
Housing through 500 in 500 is only available to low-risk individuals, according to the program website
The county measures risk through the Allegheny Housing Assessment. This survey attempts to predict the likelihood of a mental health inpatient stay, a jail booking and frequent use (four or more visits) of hospital emergency rooms over the next 12 months.
The county said this tool is far more accurate and equitable than other models.
DHS spokesperson Melissa Brock said the county is keeping a close eye on the demographics the county serves. According to county data, roughly 55% of the local unhoused population is Black. Brock said about 52% of those housed through 500 in 500 are also Black.
Nusser said he does not think this program is enough to end homelessness in the county. However, he is confident it will reduce the long-term stays in local shelters.
Roughly 14% of current shelter occupants have been there for longer than six months, according to county Human Services. The hope, Brock said, is to “meaningfully reduce that number — perhaps to zero.”
In effect, Lewis said, the program aims to move people out of shelters and into permanent housing in less time. With the decrease in long-term shelter populations, Lewis said the county will continue to address emergency housing for high-risk individuals.
On Oct. 23, Pittsburgh City Council member Bobby Wilson proposed nearly $1.2 million in services for the unhoused, including emergency shelter services, street outreach services, rental assistance, and housing relocation and stabilization services.
Under Wilson’s proposal, $450,000 of that money will be allocated to Auberle, a western PA nonprofit specializing in workplace development, housing, young adult services, and foster care. Another $105,000 will be directed to Familylinks specifically for emergency housing, something local officials have been working to improve for years.
“Homelessness is a complex, nationwide issue rooted in systematic failures that cannot be solved by City Council, the Mayor’s Office, or Allegheny County alone. Real change will require a unified effort across local, state, and federal levels,” said Wilson, who serves District 1. His district includes the North Side and the Strip District.
“The scale of the (homelessness) problem in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County is solvable,” Nusser said. “By next summer, we expect demonstrable progress people will be able to see and experience.”
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