How will another $10 million impact affordable housing? A breakdown of the 2019 Housing Opportunity Fund plan

People walk along Bedford Avenue near the Bedford Hill Apartments in Pittsburgh’s Hill District. Pittsburgh City Council voted to approve the 2019 plan for the Housing Opportunity Fund. (Photo by Ryan Loew/PublicSource)

by Tom Lisi, PublicSource

Pittsburgh City Council unanimously approved a second annual spending plan for the $10 million Housing Opportunity Fund [HOF]. The programs, managed by the Urban Redevelopment Authority [URA], tackle various affordable housing issues in Pittsburgh.

Before the vote, Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith said she supported the plan even though she believes a majority of her West End constituents don’t. “I think there’s a lot of value in this program,” she said, not elaborating on opposition in her district.

Councilman Anthony Coghill said he was initially skeptical residents would know about the fund’s programs, which offer affordable housing funding to both residents and developers. But hearing of two recent home sales made possible through one of the fund’s programs “was just music to my ears,” he said during the meeting.

Council first approved the creation of the fund in 2016, but the implementation of programs did not start in earnest until last November, according to HOF Director Jessica Smith Perry’s briefing of the program at the URA’s May board meeting.

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How will another $10 million impact affordable housing? A breakdown of the 2019 Housing Opportunity Fund plan

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