Homes worth fixing

When a roof leaks or a front step becomes unsafe, the answer shouldn’t be to give up on the home. It should be to make the repairs that help someone keep living there safely.

Yet when homeowners cannot afford essential repairs, manageable problems can become major hazards—putting both the home and the person living in it at risk.

At Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh, we know that addressing housing needs isn’t just about building new homes. It’s also about preserving the homes we already have.

That’s the message behind Rebuilding Together’s national Fix18 campaign. We’re proud to be part of this national effort.

The campaign’s central comparison is striking: for the cost of building one new home, Rebuilding Together can repair 18 existing homes. It’s a powerful reminder of the potential of investing in home repair, particularly across Allegheny County, where many neighborhoods have vacacy rates higher than the national norm.

Looking beyond countywide numbers

Countywide housing statistics don’t tell the whole story.

A 2022 report citing U.S. Census Bureau estimates found that Allegheny County had more than 51,000 vacant housing units in 2020, including apartments. That is not a count of abandoned or deteriorating homes. But the report identified concentrations of vacancy in the Mon Valley and Pittsburgh neighborhoods affected by population loss and disinvestment, along with substantial vacancy across communities in the eastern suburbs.

The challenge is not simply how many homes are empty. It is also how to keep occupied homes safe and livable before repair needs become overwhelming.

Preservation means helping homeowners address those needs before a leaking roof, unsafe stairs, or an inaccessible entrance threatens their ability to stay.

Understanding the roots of disrepair

Housing conditions do not exist apart from history. In Pittsburgh and its suburbs, redlining and racially restrictive housing practices limited where Black families could live and their access to wealth-building opportunities through homeownership. Their effects continue to shape inequality in our region.

That history is an important part of understanding disinvestment—but it is not the only factor behind vacancy and deterioration. Population loss, financial hardship, low property values, and the high cost of repairs have also contributed to the problem.

Recognizing these overlapping challenges helps us understand why repair needs can become overwhelming—and why bringing resources to homeowners and communities that have experienced disinvestment matters.

Preserving homes, supporting neighbors

New construction and home preservation are not competing solutions. Both have a role to play. Building new housing matters, but so does keeping existing homes safe, accessible, and livable.

At Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh, we provide free, comprehensive home repairs and rehabilitations to qualifying homeowners. Our work includes safety improvements, accessibility modifications, and energy-efficiency measures that support older adults, veterans, people with disabilities, and families with low incomes.

A roof repair can protect a home from further damage. A ramp can help a neighbor enter and leave their home more independently. These improvements help people remain safely housed while preserving the homes they depend on.

Fix18 puts that work in focus: homes are worth fixing, and the people who live in them are worth investing in.

We cannot undo decades of disinvestment with a single repair. But we can address urgent needs, one home at a time, while contributing to a broader effort to strengthen our communities.

When we help a neighbor stay safely housed, we do more than repair a building. We help preserve a place to belong.

Want to learn more about the national campaign? Visit Fix18.org to see why homes are worth fixing.

Want to make an impact locally? Donate today to help us continue this vital work right here in Pittsburgh.

Sources

• Jeffery Fraser, “Opportunity Awaits, but…”, Pittsburgh Quarterly, May 30, 2022.
• David S. Rotenstein, “Built for white people: The hidden racist history of some Pittsburgh neighborhoods”, PublicSource, April 8, 2024.
• Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center, “Redlining Maps from the Home Owners Loan Corporation, 1937”.

Community Transformation: A Neighborhood-by-Neighborhood Look at Recent Home Repairs

We’re excited to share the progress happening across our communities! From crucial structural fixes to vital energy upgrades, we have been hard at work making homes safer, more efficient, and more beautiful.

Funding for these projects was provided by a variety of programs including:

💲Energize Pittsburgh
💲HEART emergency repair program
💲Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB)
💲Department of Community & Economic Development (DCED)
💲Corporate Sponsors and Volunteers from Brentwood Bank and FedEx.

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Here is a breakdown of the recently completed home repairs, categorized by project type and grouped by neighborhood.

Clairton: 3 Homes

• Exterior & Siding: Restored home exteriors by repairing and replacing missing siding, installing new house wrap and gable vents, updating back porch deck boards, and installing a new front screen door.

• Plumbing & Bathroom: Upgraded bathrooms by replacing a bathtub and associated plumbing, strengthening subfloors, and installing new vinyl plank flooring with quarter round trim.

• Interior & Finishes: Completed kitchen plaster work, created a custom wire storage and hanger system, patched and painted storage rooms, and cleaned and organized a storefront space.

• Accessibility: Installed a new stairlift to improve daily home accessibility and mobility.

Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar: 3 Homes

• Electrical & HVAC: Modernized critical home systems by upgrading service panels (including a 100 to 200-AMP upgrade with a 40-circuit breaker) and installing new ducted heat pumps alongside a furnace replacement.

• Roofing & Exterior: Protected homes from the elements with a full roof replacement, porch stabilization, and the installation of new front, side, and basement entry doors.

• Interior & Finishes: Refreshed interior living spaces with comprehensive flooring replacements and updated household appliances.

• Windows: Replaced a total of 9 windows across the projects (including one home that received 7 new windows) to improve energy efficiency and weatherization.

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That’s 6 people living in safer and healthier homes thanks to the support from our funders and volunteers!

Community Transformation: A Neighborhood-by-Neighborhood Look at Recent Home Repairs

We’re excited to share the progress happening across our communities! From crucial structural fixes to vital energy upgrades, we have been hard at work making homes safer, more efficient, and more beautiful.

Funding for these projects was provided by a variety of programs including:

💲Energize Pittsburgh
💲HEART emergency repair program
💲Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB)
💲Department of Community & Economic Development (DCED)
💲Urban Redevelopment Authority Lower Hill Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance program (URA LERTA)
💲Corporate Sponsors and Volunteers from Brentwood Bank and FedEx.

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Here is a breakdown of the recently completed home repairs, categorized by project type and grouped by neighborhood.

 

Beltzhoover: 1 Home

• HVAC & Electrical: Installed a new heat pump with updated piping, a thermostat, and a ceiling fan
• Windows: Replaced a damaged window

Chartiers: 1 Home

• HVAC & Plumbing: Upgraded a home with a heat pump, a water heater, and a sump pump to address a sewer lateral issue.

• Interior & Finishes: Completed extensive interior work, including patching and painting the basement hallway, scraping and painting the bedroom ceiling, replacing drywall in the sunroom and living room, sorting and decluttering, removing chipped living room tile, and installing new plank flooring with trim in the kitchen and bathroom. Also installed a new bathroom shower rod and curtain.

• Exterior & Structural: Volunteers scraped and painted the front porch, power-washed the front porch awning, and installed two handrails on split-level landings for safety.

Clairton: 4 Homes

• Plumbing & Bathroom: Remodeled bathrooms, which included multiple tub-to-shower conversions, bathroom floor repairs, and subfloor replacements.

• Roofing & Exterior: Protected homes from the elements with full roof replacements, roof repairs, new vinyl siding, and repairs to soffits and fascia.

•  Interior & Finishes: Repaired basement leaks and updated interior flooring and walls. Kitchens also received needed repairs.

• Windows & Accessibility: Replaced windows (including one project with 7 new windows) and installed a new stairlift for improved accessibility.

Crafton Heights: 1 Home

• Plumbing: Replaced a water heater.

• Exterior & Structural: Built a new retaining wall, fence, and a deck.

• Windows: Installed brand new windows. 

East Hills: 4 Homes

• Electrical: Modernized power systems by upgrading 100 AMP services to new 200 AMP panels, replacing service drops, and installing solar panels. Added smoke/CO detectors and replaced multiple interior and exterior light fixtures, including garage, front driveway, and front porch lights.

• HVAC & Plumbing: Installed a new outdoor heat pump unit with a thermostat, completely renovated a bathroom with new plumbing and fixtures, and inspected and snaked a sewer line.

• Windows & Doors: Improved insulation and security by replacing over 22 windows (including 8 white vinyl double-hung units with proper trimming and caulking) and window wells. Replaced 8 interior/exterior doors, added a storm door, a screen door, and installed a fire-rated basement door and deadbolt.

• Interior & Finishes: Repaired or replaced flooring and baseboards across living rooms, dining rooms, hallways, bathrooms, and kitchens. Installed new kitchen cabinet hardware, a bathroom vanity, a dining room pantry, and dry-locked basement block walls.

• Exterior & Structural: Replaced roofs, gutters, downspouts, and fascia. Repaired exterior walls, painted the back porch, demolished and replaced driveway retaining walls and steps with a French drain, and safely removed three trees.

Hazelwood: 1 Home

• Electrical: Converted two service lines to a single line with a new panel, added new circuits, and installed GFCI outlets.

• Appliances: Modernized homes with a new induction range and a heat pump dryer.

• Windows: Installed a new glass block window.

Hill District: 1 Home

• Accessibility & Structural: Replaced the front stairs and handrail, installed a designated electrical outlet, and fabricated and installed a curved stairlift.

• Doors: Installed a new front storm door.

Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar: 5 Homes

• Electrical & HVAC: Significantly upgraded power capacity with new 150 AMP and 200 AMP electrical panels, new service lines, circuits, and GFCI outlets. Installed new furnaces, outdoor heat pumps with thermostats, and various light fixtures and ceiling fans.

• Plumbing & Bathroom: Replaced hot water heaters (with expansion tanks) and added a main shut-off valve to water meters. Completed large-scale bathroom renovations, including framing walk-in showers with tile surrounds, new fixtures, and subfloor/flooring.

• Interior & Structural: Completed major interior overhauls, such as structural basement reinforcements (new posts and beams), moving and framing a new kitchen layout, and installing new cabinets, countertops, flooring, and appliances (refrigerator, microwave, induction stove). Demolished old paneling and plaster to install, prime, and paint new drywall and vinyl plank flooring.

• Roofing & Exterior: Addressed structural vulnerabilities by replacing roofs, soffits, fascia, gutters, and downspouts. Repaired chimney flashing and caps, replaced missing siding, demolished and poured new concrete walkways and front steps to code, and installed handrails. Further improved exteriors by parging foundations, removing vines/trees, and repairing cracks in front porches.

• Windows & Doors: Installed glass block windows, standard windows, storm doors, and reattached doors.

Manchester: 1 Home

• Roofing & Exterior: Deck removal, re-siding at rear of home

• Electrical: Electrical safety upgrades

Marshall-Shadeland: 2 Homes

• Roofing & Exterior: Completed extensive exterior overhauls including roof repair/replacement, replaced fascia, chimney flashing, chimney caps, vinyl siding, gutters, and downspouts. Also replaced a metal awning and porch railings.

• HVAC & Appliances: Upgraded efficiency by installing an outdoor heat pump unit with a thermostat and a heat pump dryer with a new service line.

• Windows: Replaced 9 windows.

McKeesport: 2 Homes

• Roofing & Exterior: Executed a full roof replacement, resurfaced a porch, installed a porch railing, and poured a concrete walkway with handrails.

• Doors: Improved safety and access by replacing an exterior door, a storm door, and installing a Bilco door.

• Structural: Removed and safely rebuilt unsafe basement steps.

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That’s 23 people living in safer and healthier homes thanks to the support from our funders and volunteers!

We are thrilled to announce that Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh has been selected as this year’s WQED and Giant Eagle Community Champion! This prestigious award recognizes our ongoing commitment to preserving affordable homeownership and revitalizing communities throughout Allegheny County.

WQED produced a video that beautifully captures the heart of our mission. As highlighted in the video, we provide free, critical home repairs for low-income seniors, veterans, and disabled homeowners. Our dedicated volunteers, both skilled and unskilled, are the driving force behind our work, bringing their energy and teamwork to every project. Each year, we are able to make significant repairs to approximately 80+ homes, ensuring our neighbors can continue to live in safety and comfort.

The video also shines a spotlight on our innovative Rehab for Resale
(R4R) program. Through this initiative, we acquire and completely renovate dilapidated properties, transforming them into healthy, modern living spaces. These homes are then sold to first-time homebuyers, providing them with a stable foundation for the future.

We are incredibly grateful to WQED and Giant Eagle for this honor and for helping us share our story. We invite you to watch the video to see the impact of our work firsthand and to learn more about the families we serve.

Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/9JjWAT9ODlM?si=QofZP8B9Y3VGF2Cc