2 Pittsburgh City Council members believe tiny homes will help transition people out of homelessness

PITTSBURGH — For the last year, two city council members have researched and proposed countless ideas to get the people living in these tents off the street. Now they’ve taken a hammer to the wood to actually build a concept to try to get the ball rolling.

“This would be the finished product, the insulation here. Nothing fancy, we aren’t dry walling and hanging pictures,” said Councilman Anthony Coghill.

It’s a tiny home. The first of a proposed pilot program that would put 10 of them in a city-owned space for four years to serve as bridge housing for the homeless.

“We’ve lost the places where people can live very affordably, on a bus line, near food, in a community,” said Councilwoman Deb Gross.

It’s the fifth proposal these two council members have tried to push through in the last year, but they believe this is the answer because it’s immediate and cheap.

“This is one option that is lighter, quicker, cheaper, and we should do it because we can do it,” Gross said.

The cost is just $1,800 a house, the example was even built by the councilman himself. The one hiccup is waiting for the county to fully sign on board, as the Department of Human Services would have to provide the 24/7 social services plus the showers and bathrooms.

“None of the sites we are thinking of are near residential. We are talking in and around downtown, we can’t put out the site, yet we need the county and city to buy in. If they buy in we will be out tomorrow,” Coghill said.

While it is not likely this project will get off the ground before this winter ends, the hope is to help those on the streets have a safe home before next year. Both council members believe this project will show the community they care and the concept blends as its tiny neighborhood.

“I can’t stress how much this would have changed my life when I was unhoused and how it really would have given me not only the safety but the privacy to build a life,” said Sam Schmidt who was formerly unhoused.

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