Meeting scheduled to discuss plans for closed Stanton Heights nursing home

PITTSBURGH — A zoning meeting is being held this week to discuss plans for a closed nursing home in Stanton Heights.

The current plan is to turn the building into transitional housing for homeless people and many residents are concerned.

The Vincentian De Marillac closed last spring and has been empty ever since.

The property owners partnered with community human services, Allegheny County’s Department of Human Services, City of Pittsburgh officials and others to turn the former nursing home into bridge housing.

CHS says the program is for people and families who are in a homeless shelter and are ready to move into more stabilized temporary housing so they can transition to affordable housing in the future.

A neighbor told Channel 11′s Jillian Hartmann that she has safety concerns.

“It’s a safety issue for a lot of people who live down on that end of the street with children, they ride their bikes down there,” Nettie Henning explained.

Henning is the former president of the Stanton Heights Neighborhood Association. She said she also worries this will bring down property values.

“Anytime you disrupt the status quo with something like this, that’s a concern for the homeowners,” Henning said.

A letter was sent out to residents last month notifying them of this new plan and inviting them to a community meeting that was held last week. CHS will be operating the program while the county funds it.

CHS says its goal is to help and prepare people for employment connect them with community resources and identify long-term housing solutions.

The city is holding a public zoning review meeting over Zoom on Thursday for those who have questions or concerns. It will also stream live on channel the city’s YouTube channel.

Channel 11 received the following statements:

“As part of the mission of Community Human Services since 1971, we are looking forward to an opportunity to provide temporary housing to individuals selected by the county who are invested in their futures. Some people experience hardship and need additional support in order to move on to a more permanent living arrangement. Our goal here is to help individuals fight the barriers of increased housing costs in our area as well as food insecurity in order to prepare them for employment, establish and reestablish community relationships, connect to community resources, and identify long-term housing solutions,” said Alicia Romano, the chief executive office of Community Human Services.

“Vincentian is pleased to partner with Community Human Services, Allegheny County Department of Human Services, and officials of the City of Pittsburgh, and others on this proposed project. For the last 100 years, Vincentian’s mission has been to meet unmet human services needs in a changing society. We’ve been a member of the Stanton Heights neighborhood since 1943, and we look forward to continuing to work with our neighbors and local community groups in support of work that preserves human dignity and improves quality of life for those served,” said Vincentian President & CEO Dean Owrey.

“The wonderful and skilled caregivers of Vincentian wish to partner with Allegheny County Department of Human Services to offer bridge housing to residents who have been stable in shelter for some time and are ready to transition to employment and more permanent housing. The Vincentian campus in Stanton Heights has provided care to our neighbors for decades and we are excited by this new vision for the site which will not only offer a critically needed service but also help to meet an important neighborhood goal by ensuring that the property remain in Vincentian’s hands,” said Mayor Ed Gainey’s office.

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