Pittsburgh's URA says it spent $12.7M on affordable housing efforts last year

Pittsburgh’s Urban Redevelopment Authority said in its 2022 annual report that it created or preserved more than 500 affordable housing units in the city last year.

The authority, which released its annual report this week, said it spent $12.7 million on housing creation and preservation last year, including more than $4.6 million for new affordable rental housing and nearly $2 million for new for-sale housing.

The authority said that resulted in the creation or preservation of 511 affordable housing units.

That included 322 units preserved as affordable housing for rent, six units preserved as affordable housing for sale, 91 new units built as affordable housing for rent and 32 new units built as affordable housing for sale, according to the URA.

The report said 83% of homeowners receiving housing support from the authority were women or minority heads of household, among those who provided demographic information.

A URA report showed that from 2020 and 2021, the authority created and preserved over 2,000 housing units, with nearly $65 million invested into housing efforts during that two-year span.

The URA also provides temporary financial assistance to help renters and homeowners stay in their homes. Last year, the authority gave $289,000 to 109 people as part of its housing crisis prevention initiative.

Another $236,0000 helped 21 Pittsburghers get accessibility improvements for their housing.

The authority also spent about $315,000 to help 466 people with legal assistance for renters and homeowners, the report said.

The report said the URA also invested $4.8 million in local businesses by lending or granting money to help them start up or grow. About 90% of URA business loans in 2022 supported minority- and women-owned businesses.

The URA spent more than $64.3 million on 56 different development projects last year, including commercial, mixed-use, residential and greenspace or recreational projects.

As part of the URA’s goal to expand neighborhood and main street revitalization efforts, the authority provided technical assistance to more than 180 businesses and offered nearly $250,000 in facade loans and grants for business owners and homeowners.