Pittsburgh, Pa. – June 10, 2021 − Senator Jay Costa today announced the award of $750,000 in state funding for local housing projects in Wilkinsburg and Hazelwood.
“These communities have incredible potential just waiting to be unlocked, and today’s awards will help rehabilitate and reimagine the real estate landscape while protecting its existing residents,” said Senator Costa.
Wilkinsburg Community Development Corporation will receive $250,000 to expand and implement its Vacant Property Recovery Initiative, an effort to bring blighted and underutilized parcels back to productive use. The program will provide technical support and closing cost assistance for vacant residential property acquisition, recover vacant land through side lot acquisition and renewal, and perform owner-occupied rehab for existing housing.
The Hazelwood Initiative will receive $500,000 for development on Hazelwood Green. The proposal, part of Hazelwood Initiative’s “development without displacement” strategy, will develop 12 units of permanently affordable homeownership units using the City of Bridges Community Land Trust (CBCLT) model, and 19 units or permanently affordable rental units, the final phase of the 63-unit Hazelwood Affordable Rental Preservation Project.
This funding was approved by the Pennsylvania Housing & Finance Authority for the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement (PHARE) program. The funds come from Realty Transfer Taxes.
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