PITTSBURGH — The district attorney has been cracking down on landlords who have not maintained living conditions while still receiving funding from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. Now, with the potential closure of the local HUD office, elected officials are worried that it will set back progress on holding those landlords accountable.
“I am a single mother of five and I have depended on low-income housing to be able to help me support my family and so that we could thrive throughout the days of our time.” said tenant advocate, Jala Rucker.
With the potential closing, more than 44,000 low-income families would be affected, cutting around $413 million in federal funding.
Channel 11 has told you the DA has charged landlords of Mon View Heights in West Mifflin and Palisades Plaza Apartments in Rankin - after an inspector found life-threatening conditions inside the housing complexes - like bug and rodent infestations, mold, leaking sewage and even fire hydrants that don’t work.
Congresswoman Summer Lee said she is thrilled with the involvement of the District Attorney but warns that if the local HUD office closes, they will not have the staffing to bring these conditions to light or enforce landlords to fix the already dangerous living conditions.
“These are people who have been found to be fraudulent. They are facing federal indictments and they’re probably going to jail. Even with all of that, these people still have no remedy. They’re still living in units that are uninhabitable. So even with the federal indictment, we still don’t have a remedy,” said Congresswoman Summer Lee.
The Pittsburgh HUD field office oversees 34 housing authorities in 29 counties, covering the entire western half of the state.
Jala Rucker said the closure will hurt families.
“Longer delays mean more families stuck in limbo and at risk of homelessness,” Rucker said.
“My call to action is for the people,” said Mayor Ed Gainey. “It’s for the people to reach out to their congresspeople and senators and tell them that no plan is how people perish, and we can’t afford for nobody to perish.”
Congresswoman Summer Lee said, “I know it’s called housing and urban development, but housing is an issue is a concern in urban and rural communities and suburban and exurban communities and blue and red and purple ones all across this country. This is not a Democrat versus a Republican problem housing is a problem for each and every one of us.”
There is no word on a timeline for this potential closer, but local leaders stressed the need to be proactive about the situation, as it could affect many neighborhoods of Pittsburgh.
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