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Why Homeownership Matters in Pittsburgh: Beyond the New Build

For generations, homeownership in Pittsburgh has been a cornerstone of family generational wealth and neighborhood stability. Owning a home offers more than just a roof over your head; it provides:

• Financial Stability and Growth: Homeownership remains a powerful tool for building long-term wealth. As you pay down your mortgage and your property (hopefully) appreciates, you build equity: a valuable asset for the future, whether that’s plans for a family, retirement, or the next generation.
• A Sense of Community: Homeowners often develop deep roots in their neighborhoods. They are more likely to be involved locally, support area businesses, and contribute to the overall well-being of their community; a spirit that is quintessentially Pittsburgh.
• Personalization and Pride: Owning your home means having the freedom to create a space that truly reflects your personality and where lasting memories are made.

The Importance of Repairing and Revitalizing Existing Homes

In a city like Pittsburgh, with its rich architectural heritage and significant stock of older homes, preserving existing housing is just as crucial as new construction. This is where our work at Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh plays a vital role. We focus on repairing homes for vulnerable homeowners, including seniors, individuals with disabilities, and low-income families.

Why is this work so important?

• Addressing Aging Housing Stock: Many Pittsburgh homes, while full of character, require significant upkeep and repair. Addressing these needs helps ensure homes remain safe, healthy, and habitable for their residents.
• Maintaining Affordability: Repairing an existing home is often more cost-effective than building a new one, helping to keep housing affordable for long-term residents and preventing displacement.
• Neighborhood Revitalization: When homes are well-maintained, it benefits the entire neighborhood. It boosts community pride, improves property values, and contributes to the overall vibrancy and stability of the area. Investing in existing homes is an investment in the fabric of our communities.

Repairs Can be a Barrier to Continued Homeownership

While owning a home offers numerous benefits, the ongoing responsibility of maintenance and repairs can present significant challenges. For many families and seniors, especially those on fixed incomes, the cost of necessary repairs can become prohibitively expensive. A leaking roof, a failing furnace, or accessibility modifications can quickly escalate beyond a household’s budget, putting their ability to remain in their home at risk.

This is a critical issue in a city with an older housing stock like Pittsburgh. Fortunately, our free home repairs at Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh (RTP) directly address this challenge for those who need them most. These repairs are not minor fixes; they are often substantial investments that ensure safety, health, and accessibility. In fact, our average repair investment per home in 2024 was $31,608. This is a striking figure, especially when you consider that the average household income for the families and individuals served by our programs was $20,716. Without such assistance, many residents would face the heartbreaking possibility of having to leave their homes and communities. Our work is vital in helping folks stay in their homes, preserving not only individual households but also the fabric of our neighborhoods.

Innovative Paths to Homeownership: Our Rehab for Resale Model

Beyond critical repair work, RTP also champions innovative solutions to increase homeownership opportunities through our Rehab for Resale (R4R) program. This initiative strategically buys and renovates vacant or distressed properties, transforming them into safe, healthy, and energy-efficient homes. These revitalized houses are then sold at affordable prices to low-to-moderate-income families and individuals, offering a direct pathway to homeownership.

Our R4R program is critical because it:

• Tackles Blight and Vacancy: By rehabilitating derelict properties, the program directly addresses issues of blight, improving neighborhood aesthetics and safety.
• Increases Affordable Housing Inventory: In a competitive market, R4R creates move-in ready, affordable homes, expanding options for families who might otherwise be priced out.
• Promotes Sustainable Communities: Renovating existing structures is an environmentally conscious approach that utilizes existing infrastructure and contributes to the density and walkability of Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods.

Navigating Your Path in Pittsburgh

While the benefits are clear, the journey to homeownership, or even maintaining one, can seem daunting. Fortunately, numerous resources are available:

• Local Champions: Alongside our efforts at Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh, organizations like Habitat for Humanity of Greater Pittsburgh and Action Housing offer affordable homeownership programs. Catapult Greater Pittsburgh provides financial counseling and support.
• Government and Non-Profit Assistance: The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA) offers programs that can help with down payments and closing costs. State resources from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) and national support from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) are also crucial.

Celebrating, Preserving, and Taking Action

National Homeownership Month in Pittsburgh is an opportunity to:

• Educate Yourself: If you’re considering buying a home, or if you’re a homeowner needing repairs, research the resources available. Attend workshops and connect with housing counselors.
• Support Local Efforts: Consider volunteering with or donating to organizations like ours at Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh that are making a tangible difference in preserving homes and creating new homeowners.
• Advocate for Housing Solutions: Stay informed about local and state housing policies that promote affordable housing, support home repair initiatives, and foster neighborhood revitalization.

This June, let’s celebrate not only the dream of owning a home but also the critical work of preserving and revitalizing Pittsburgh’s unique housing stock and creating safe and healthy homes for all. Whether you’re a current homeowner, an aspiring one, or someone passionate about community development, National Homeownership Month is a perfect time to reflect on what it means to have a safe, healthy, and affordable place to call your own in the vibrant city of Pittsburgh.

Want to help? Consider making a gift to Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh today.

The post Owning and Preserving Your Piece of Home: Celebrating Pittsburgh Homeownership Month appeared first on Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh.

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Social return on investment (SROI) is a metric adapted from the traditional return on investment (ROI). SROI is used to measure social, environmental and economic gains that result from an investment, as opposed to the strictly monetary gains measured by traditional ROI. This new, more inclusive measurement captures a broader set of impacts given that it identifies those impacts beyond simply financial or business ones, putting often intangible concepts into a more tangible form – the dollar.

Rebuilding Together recently collaborated with Ecotone on an SROI impact analysis, building upon previously conducted impact measurement, analysis and stakeholder surveying work, to monetize the overall social value of every dollar invested in Rebuilding Together and its affiliates across the country. The monetization process was done conservatively to avoid risk of overclaiming impact as well as giving consideration to impact that cannot be attributed to Rebuilding Together services.

To derive the SROI ratio, Ecotone combined evidence of impact with the estimated costs and monetized benefits of Rebuilding Together projects. Ecotone then identified the key stakeholder groups to whom those impact benefits accrued and utilized a benefit cost ratio to communicate social value creation.

They determined that each dollar spent in service to our mission can conservatively generate $2.84 worth of social value with the healthcare system and individual homeowners being the largest beneficiaries.

Click here to download the report and learn more.

Donate today to support safe and healthy housing in our community!

The post The Importance of Social Return on Investment (SROI) appeared first on Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh.

We’re looking forward to partnering with Neighborhood Allies to deliver the renovations highlighted in this article. The work represents a critical commitment to equity in rebuilding the communities that have been hardest hit by the pandemic.

Neighborhood Allies supports people and organizations by providing onramps to prosperity through capital programs and strategic resources, connects community builders together to forge stronger networks and collaborations that drive transformative change, and impacts the community by co-creating solutions to long-term social problems. Using their Healthy Neighborhoods Framework as a roadmap, they make and support neighborhood-based investments that seed creative community ideas.

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“I applaud the work that Tri-COG Land Bank and Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh are doing to not only provide first time homeownership opportunities for Pittsburgh families, but also their efforts to acquire and rehabilitate properties to remediate blight,” said Evan Zuverink, Vice President and CRA Officer at First Commonwealth Bank. “At First Commonwealth Bank, we look forward to being a partner in this project and helping support these organizations, families, and communities they serve.”

“FHLBank Pittsburgh is proud to serve our members, like First Commonwealth Bank, and support affordable housing in our region,” said Megan Krider, Manager of Affordable Housing and Community Development at FHLBank of Pittsburgh. “This work with community partners including Tri-COG Land Bank and Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh has created more homeownership opportunities for local families.”

TCLB acquired the Rankin property in March of 2021 and the East Pittsburgh property in December of 2020. Following their acquisition, TCLB pursued a legal process called Quiet Title Action to ensure that the houses would be eligible for title insurance. Title insurance protects the new buyers from being held liable for debts incurred by previous owners. TCLB also helped to stabilize the properties by maintaining the exterior, cutting grass, and clearing brush. It is currently renovating another property in East Pittsburgh on the same street.

“As Councilwoman of Rankin, I welcome this renovation,” said Geneva Parks. “It will bring revenue to Rankin, beautify and improve our community.”

This sale marks the 25th property that TCLB has sold since it was founded in 2017. Most properties take at least 18 months to acquire and sell due to the legal requirements involved with buying properties at Sheriff Sale and the other court proceedings required to provide title insurance to buyers. As a designated land bank operating under the PA Land Bank Act, TCLB is better equipped to overcome legal barriers and identify buyers that align with local community goals.

“In our first few years of operation, we focused our energy on putting the necessary systems in place to manage properties and navigate the legal requirements to clear and insure titles,” said An Lewis, Executive Director of TCLB. “Now that our core processes are solidified, we are excited about expanding our impact through trusted partnerships with organizations like Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh. Partnerships are critical because often the communities that we work in require multiple interventions. Being able to offer those interventions at the same time in a coordinated fashion makes the impact greater and the improvements more sustaining.”

In 2022, TCLB and RTP will be building on their partnership as part of a larger collaborative that also includes City of Bridges Community Land Trust, Steel Rivers Council of Governments, and Turtle Creek Valley Council of Governments. With funding from the Forbes Funds, these organizations are developing a scalable model to work together to revitalize communities and recover blighted properties for community reuse.

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About Tri-COG Land Bank

Founded in 2017, Tri-COG Land Bank (TCLB) revitalizes neighborhoods by transitioning vacant, blighted properties to beneficial reuse. TCLB partners with local municipalities, community development corporations, nonprofits, and individuals to strategically align purchases with each community’s priorities and plans.

TCLB currently operates in 26 municipalities: Blawnox, Braddock Hills, Chalfant, Churchill, Clairton, Dravosburg, East McKeesport, East Pittsburgh, Edgewood, Etna, Forest Hills, Glassport, McKeesport, Millvale, Monroeville, North Braddock, North Versailles, Pitcairn, Port Vue, Rankin, Sharpsburg, South Versailles, Swissvale, Turtle Creek, White Oak, and Wilkins.

For more information, please visit https://tricoglandbank.org/. Photos of the properties described in this release are available at https://www.facebook.com/tricoglandbank

The post Tri-COG Land Bank, Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh Transform Abandoned Properties into Affordable Housing appeared first on Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh.

“I have the chance to make a difference in someone’s life.”

Veni Mittal, energy auditor and assessment coordinator at RTP, is a highly educated sustainability professional, with master’s degrees from Thapar University in India and Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. She is very knowledgeable about standards of energy efficiency, the effects of sustainability in residential communities, and other technical elements of sustainability. In fact, she holds an EcoDistricts AP certification. Despite her scientific know-how, Veni’s favorite part of her job at Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh is working with community members.

As a self-described “people person,” Veni’s enjoyment in working with RTP clients should be no surprise. She loves doing ten to twelve in-person energy audits each month. Her colleagues say Veni is friendly and kind, and always ready to help people. Veni describes sustainability as a big umbrella that includes energy efficiency, and her work at RTP allows her to see that in action.

Veni is excited to have the chance to lower a client’s electric bill through the Duquesne Light Smart Comfort Assurance Program, which she administers. The program, which is an energy reduction and education program, ensures that all income-qualified customers receive services that can result in savings of between three to sixteen percent. Whether helping clients be more aware of turning off lights or using smart strips, night lights, or LED bulbs that she gives them, Veni celebrates making a difference in someone’s life by helping them make simple changes. She also helps income-qualified customers realize greater energy efficiency through the Columbia Gas WarmWise Audits & Rebates Program through energy audits and funding for installation of energy efficiency measures.

A topic close to Veni’s heart as a “people person” is seeing things from everyone’s perspective. She recently joined the internal RTP DEI Committee with a commitment to better learn how to apply equity in her job and in her everyday life.

Veni applies her broader scientific knowledge through volunteer activities. She serves as community service chair and organizes events to promote community sustainability initiatives for Green Building Alliance, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that advances innovation in the built environment by empowering people to create environmentally, economically, and socially vibrant places. Veni also serves as a board member of the Etna Community Organization, a nonprofit organization in the borough of Etna dedicated to building a more vibrant and sustainable future where all have the opportunity to thrive and lead healthy, fulfilling lives.

Veni and her husband, a mechanical engineer, live in Carnegie. When not working or volunteering, they can be found exploring state and national parks. This past year, they hiked in Colorado and several parks in Pennsylvania, exercising their love of mountains.

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