Pittsburgh moves ahead with tiny houses as alternative spaces for homeless

Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday in a preliminary vote unanimously supported a measure that would allow for tiny houses and other temporary communities for homeless.

The proposal, first pitched in November 2023, aims to provide safe, dignified spaces for homeless people who may be wary of living on the streets or in group shelters that offer little privacy and sometimes provide limited hours.

Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, one of the bill’s sponsors, said he hoped the city would not have to resort to building tiny house communities. He said he hoped more permanent housing would be available for anyone who needed it — but he also believed the tiny house model would be a good alternative to group shelters.

“We’re not planning to build on any certain location,” Coghill said. “But we want to have the tools in place.”

Other cities, he pointed out, have had success using tiny houses or other temporary, transitional accommodations. Officials in places throughout the country that have adopted similar models have reported the programs reduce the number of unsheltered homeless people living on the streets, are more readily accepted than traditional group shelters and offer a more successful path to permanent housing.

In addition to tiny houses, the measure City Council advanced Wednesday would allow for temporary communities in existing buildings where people could have their own rooms.

The city’s planning commission in January gave its approval for the proposal. City Council is expected to take a final vote next week.

A public process would occur before any interim housing communities could be built. The sites would have electricity, running water, trash removal and supportive services like mental health care and job training.