Housing

Mission

To establish a group of social service providers to address the housing needs of the public and private sector in the Mon Valley.

Contact Information

For more information on the Working on Housing, contact the Mon Valley Providers Council at 412-829-7112 or rsmith@hscc-mvpc.org.

Current Projects

The annual Super Expo is held on a Saturday in April to combine all aspects of the MVPC, including the former Housing Expo. The annual events were huge successes with over 1,000 people attaining pertinent housing information.  This event will be held on a Saturday each spring at Century III Mall in West Mifflin, most likely from 10:00am-4:00pm. Check the News and Events link for more information.

The first ever "Home Sweet Home" Housing Conference was held in 2002, and the event was repeated in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006 with a variety of new workshops.  In place of a conference, targeted workshops are being planned in 2007 to cover a wide range of topics.

The Mon Valley Homebuyer Education Project offers local families and service providers an opportunity to learn about critical home ownership issues. HELP (Homebuyer Education and Learning Program) is a five week class covering the basics of homeownership including budgeting, shopping for a home, shopping for a mortgage, and a special focus on the homeownership services available through our member agencies. Ongoing trainings facilitated by our member agencies afford service providers the chance to better understand the complex issues surrounding home ownership and to ultimately strengthen the support system for consumers. This spring's classes will be convened by Mon Valley Initiative and Century Heritage Federal Credit Union.  MVI can be reached at 412-464-4000 and CHFCU can be contacted at 412-650-2600.

Current Co-Chairs

Meeting Information

The Working Group meets the second Friday of the month from 9:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m. at McKeesport Family Center in the Wander Building on Fifth Avenue in McKeesport, PA.

Links

History

The Working Group on Housing was created in 1991 to fill one of the largest gaps in the Mon Valley region. Access to decent and affordable housing has been a real struggle for families in the Mon Valley. Additionally, the existing public and subsidized housing system is wholly unable to meet the housing needs of this region. Housing related needs represent a wide range of issues, including: homelessness, transition to permanent housing, rental assistance, code violations, evictions, fire victims, and many others. There is no counterpart to the City of Pittsburgh's central housing relocation program in Allegheny County. Within the Providers Council, there is strong support for impacting the housing conditions of residents of the Mon Valley.

From 1991 through 1993, this Group served as the Advisory Committee to an Affordable Housing Bank project, designed to assist low and moderate income persons to locate affordable and decent housing in the Mon Valley region. In 1992 and 1993, the Group held sessions with the Allegheny County Housing Authority to address concerns surrounding the living conditions of tenants. In 1993 and early 1994, the Group worked together to develop a Housing Relocation Program for the Mon Valley. Due to the lack of a long term funding source, the Program was not successful in securing funding. In cooperation with the McKeesport Collaborative, much of 1995 was spent advocating for a fair HUD SuperNOFA process in Allegheny County which would include the Mon Valley. These efforts led to a position paper, and the County's creation of a six person review team: 2 from the City of Pittsburgh, 2 from Allegheny County and 2 from the Mon Valley. The process is now inclusive.