500 in 500: Collaboration in Action.

The City of Pittsburgh, like many, saw a marked increase in homelessness in the latter part of the pandemic. Families are struggling to find enough work to pay the rent and put food on the table and coming up short on both. Recognizing the lack of affordable units in the city was the first step.

The Allegheny County Executive, Sarah Innamorato , spearheaded an initiative called “500 in 500” with partners in the county and state. RHLS was honored to have a part in the initiative, along with our colleagues and clients at ACTION Housing, Rising Tide Partners, as well as important funders such as the Heinz Endowments and the Henry L. Hillman Foundation. We provided technical assistance to help bring the initiative to fruition.

After the city identified vacant public housing units, it invested in repair and preservation efforts. The Pittsburgh Human Services office collaborated with the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County Housing Authority, as well as developers, to give people trying to exit shelter a “first look” at open apartments. Multiple municipal offices agreed that vouchers could be portable across municipal lines, an important decision that allowed for more freedom of movement among tenants. And key to the success of the project was that Human Services directly supported landlords and tenants to ensure continued success.

We were very proud of the outcomes of this joint advocacy effort. The initiative launched in June of 2024, and by October of this year, 500 days later, 622 people have been housed. 568 units have been identified for preservation, and more people are moving into them every day. This is the real-world impact of affordable housing advocates, and we couldn’t be happier about it!

Thanks to everyone involved!

• City of Pittsburgh
• Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh
• Allegheny County Housing Authority
• ACTION Housing
• Baltic Steel Management
• Brandywine Communities
• Clairton Community Property
• Glenshaw Gardens
• Hullett Properties
• MS Capital Group Pittsburgh LLC
• NDC Asset Management
• Rising Tide Partners
• Buhl Foundation
• Eden Hall Foundation
• The Heinz Endowments
• Henry L. Hillman Foundation
• Richard King Mellon Foundation
• Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh

You can read more about it in County Executive Innamorato’s press release, as well as the press release from Congresswoman Summer Lee.