ANDREA JOHNSON WENT FROM BEING HOUSED IN SHELTERS TO ATTAINING HER OWN RESIDENCE IN EAST LIBERTY, THANKS TO ALLEGHENY COUNTY’S “500 iN 500” INITIATIVE. (PHOTO BY CHIEF IKHANA-HAL-MAKINA)
Andrea Johnson is now 30 years old, a wide smile on her face, and as she says, doing good for herself.
And much of that is due to her finding permanent housing thanks to Allegheny County’s “500 in 500” initiative.
Johnson, a Black woman, told her story of leaving her home a few years ago due to disparaging conditions. She found herself renting out—and then living in—a storage unit in Etna. She would maneuver her way around the employees at the storage business, and they had no idea she was living in the unit, until months passed.
Johnson then found herself living at the Unity Center, which at the time was not a registered shelter. She later moved to the East End Cooperative Ministry, in East Liberty.
But nothing really felt like home.
She saw notices about Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato’s new “500 in 500” initiative on a TV while she was working at a local Ikea store last year. In August of this year, just a few months ago, she was able to move into a residence on a more permanent basis, thanks to the initiative.
“It was amazing to move in and just feel safe and feel like you could exist, because I didn’t feel that way when I was back home, and didn’t feel that way when I was in the storage unit,” expressed Johnson. She made her comments at Flats on Forward, a 43-unit mixed-use affordable housing development in Squirrel Hill, Oct. 21. It was part of the celebration of Innamorato’s “500 in 500” initiative to identify and secure at least 500 residences for previously unhoused people within 500 days. October 18, 2025, marked day 500 of the initiative, and as of that date, 568 housing units had been secured, and 622 previously unhoused people had been housed. A release from Allegheny County said that another 83 people are in the process of moving into housing.
Of the 568 identified units, 387 are occupied, 37 are in the process of being moved into and 12 are in the process of being matched with a tenant; 28 units are acquired and pledged to the program, 82 are under construction and 22 are financed and are moving towards construction. Additionally, 97 percent of people who received housing through “500 in 500” have remained in a lease and not returned to homelessness, a report from Allegheny County read, Oct. 21.
CONGRESSWOMAN SUMMER LEE SPEAKS AT THE OCT. 21 EVENT AT FLATS ON FORWARD IN SQUIRREL HILL. (PHOTOS BY CHIEF IKHANA-HAL-MAKINA)
“Five hundred homes in five hundred days means more of our neighbors now have a safe place to sleep, raise their kids, and plan for their future,” voiced Congresswoman Summer Lee at the event. “Our budgets are a reflection of our values, and today, Allegheny County is proving that we value people and their well-being. That is a testament to the County Executive and every partner who refused to accept homelessness as inevitable. This should be our standard, and it’s why I will continue working to bring resources back home. Every single person in PA-12 and across the country deserves a safe, stable place to live.”
ALLEGHENY COUNTY EXECUTIVE SARA INNAMORATO HUGS ANDREA JOHNSON.
From Pittsburgh’s Mayor, Ed Gainey, to Innamorato, Congresswoman Lee and others, it’s been top-of-mind, the issue of homelessness in and around Pittsburgh in the months and years since the COVID pandemic in 2020. Innamorato named a number of partners who helped to make the “500 in 500” initiative a success, such as the housing authorities in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, ACTION Housing, Rising Tide Partners, Glenshaw Gardens, Baltic Steel Management, Hullett Properties, Clairton Community Property, and Brandywine Communities. She also thanked the local philanthropic organizations like the Buhl, Eden Hall, Hillman and King Mellon foundations, and The Heinz Endowments. She also thanked the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh.
MAYOR ED GAINEY, SARA INNAMORATO, CONGRESSWOMAN SUMMER LEE
“We know that people who are unhoused want a home—not just shelter. But for too long, a lack of available housing meant there was no clear path out of temporary shelters. That was a real obstacle. ‘500 in 500’ changed that,” said Mayor Gainey, Oct. 21. “Now, we can say with confidence: a top bunk in a congregate room isn’t where someone has to stay, it’s just the first step on their journey home. We’re deeply grateful to our team in the Office of Community Health and Safety, in particular the Reaching Out On The Street team, and to the many community advocates who worked tirelessly to help unsheltered neighbors come inside. Thank you to Public Works staff who upheld people’s dignity during difficult times and who continue to restore our parks and trails as more people transition into housing. And a special thanks to the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh and to the Urban Redevelopment Agency for their critical work in supporting this endeavor. Together, we are making lasting change and bringing our neighbors home.”
For Johnson, she now calls a residence in East Liberty near Pittsburgh Obama Academy home. She was the star of the show at the Oct. 21 event in Squirrel Hill. After her testimony, countless people came to her, embracing her, applauding her.
“It’s important to see people as people, because the thing is (sometimes), they just need a little help,” Johnson said.
She told the crowd that with her new residence, her sense of hope was “something that was restored to me. I’m so grateful for this program.”
CONGRESSWOMAN SUMMER LEE SHARES WORDS WITH ANDREA JOHNSON, AS ALLEGHENY COUNTY DIRECTOR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES ERIN DALTON, CENTER, LOOKS ON.