After a June fire displaced about 175 homeless people staying at Second Avenue Commons in Downtown Pittsburgh, officials are hopeful the five-story shelter will reopen in time for winter.
The first three floors are on track to restart services in November, when winter shelters typically open to provide added indoor beds, Allegheny County Department of Human Services Director Erin Dalton said Friday.
They include the engagement center and medical clinic, beds for 93 people and an overflow space on the lower level.
Dalton didn’t provide a specific opening date and warned that construction timelines are subject to change based on factors like supply chain issues and inspections.
She did not say when the single-occupancy rooms on the top two floors would reopen.
A fire at the shelter broke out in early June, injuring four firefighters and two others. Officials said the blaze began with an air conditioning or air handling unit on the roof.
There was significant water and fire damage.
Various nonprofits partnered with the city and county after the fire to serve people who had been staying in the shelter.
Pittsburgh Mercy is continuing to operate a shelter at 1200 Reedsdale Street on the city’s North Side for people who were displaced by the fire.
The Second Avenue Commons medical center operated by UPMC is temporarily operating at 902 Fifth Ave.
Second Avenue Commons opened in November 2022 and quickly filled to capacity.
Related:
• Fire at Pittsburgh homeless shelter displaces 175 people, injures 6• County, nonprofits collaborate to serve those displaced by Downtown Pittsburgh shelter fire
• Second Avenue Commons residents to relocate to temporary North Side location
