Pittsburgh, Pa. – December 14, 2018 – Today, Senators Jay Costa, Wayne D. Fontana and Senator-elect Lindsey Williams announced $2.2 million in state grant funding to promote affordable housing in Western Pennsylvania.

“While the city has seen a surge of development and growth, some areas have been left behind,” said Senator Costa. “This grant is going to help some of the neediest folks in Pittsburgh find affordable and attractive homes.”

“Abandoned properties and blight are plaguing some neighborhoods in this great city, and I’m proud to have helped secure funding to fight it,” said Senator Fontana.

“Everyone deserves a place to live, but affordable options can be limited in Pittsburgh,” said Senator-elect Williams. “I can’t wait to watch these dollars create affordable housing in the communities that need it most.”

The money will be allocated through several grants; the first of $2 million going to the City of Pittsburgh and Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh to acquire and rehabilitate 35 homes in high-need areas; $238,000 will go to the purchase and rebuilding of three homes in Washington County.

Funding for these grants comes from the Neighborhood Stabilization Program.

NSP provides grants to communities to address the housing foreclosure crisis created by subprime and other problematic mortgage lending. This program is authorized under the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. In addition to promoting affordable housing, the grants also help address blight issues resulting from these abandoned or foreclosed homes.

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