Officials of the City of Pittsburgh Housing Authority, the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh along with its many partners in the Choice Neighborhood Initiative Implementation Grants, expect the upcoming years to be a time of opportunity and change. The initiative, a product of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, are designed to revitalize and restore the Larimer/East Liberty neighborhoods.
Caster D. Binion, HACP executive director, said the millions of dollars provided as the result of the Choice Neighborhood Initiative Implementation Grants is all about the next generation. Addressing an audience of leaders of faith-based organizations, he pointed out that $56.5 million has been allocated for housing, $20.7 million for people and $12.95 million for neighborhoods. The area of concentration targets public and assisted housing of Hamilton-Larimer (public housing) and East Liberty Garden Apartments (HUD-assisted housing).
Often when revitalization of communities of the East End of Pittsburgh is mentioned, people think of developments taking place at Bakery Square and activities occurring in the shopping district of East Liberty. Since September, development has spread into the residential community of what has become known as Larimer/East Liberty. When circulating in the Larimer community; specifically the streets of Carver and Lenore and Meadow to Ashley, one will notice building of a mix of residential properties. Construction is occurring on phase 1 of the Larimer/East Liberty development expected to consist of 85 units. “As a result of the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative, adjacent to the revitalized and thriving East Liberty Business District, Larimer/East is a neighborhood poised on the edge of change,” said Binion.
During the information session, Binion along with Valerie McDonald Roberts, HACP board chair and chief Urban Affairs officer for the City of Pittsburgh, along with Danielle Davis, project manager, Faith-Based Engagement and MBE/WBE Compliance Specialist for the HACP Procurement Department, stressed the significance for faith-based organizations in Community Development to be involved in the planning and work taking place.
“It is important to the continued transformation taking place in the communities that we serve,” said Davis. The three committed the HACP to taking more of a leadership role in working with a broader array of FBOs and will exploring further engagement opportunities.
Davis outlined efforts encouraging their participation through direct solicitation of events, community meetings, job fairs, bids and proposals; using the services and assistance of the FBOs to strengthen the community resources; providing opportunities for training and employment to their qualified congregants that are lower income residents of the project area; providing opportunities for training and employment to their qualified congregants that may be awarded a contract/subcontract for work in connection with a project; and developing a FBO Committee to take the positive steps toward the above mentioned tasks.
The information session, which was the second of its kind, also served as a tool to educate attendees on the purpose, history and details of the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative. According to Binion and Davis, the Initiative is HUD’s signature faith-based initiative in support of President Barack Obama’s goal to build Ladders of Opportunity to the middle class. Their purpose is to rebuild neighborhoods, expand early learning opportunities, and creates pathways to jobs and to strengthen families.
In July, the HACP, City of Pittsburgh, and their planning and redevelopment partners from the community of Larimer received formal notification of the successful bid for a $30 million Choice Neighborhoods Grant. Key partners in the project include McCormack Baron Salazar, Urban Strategies, the Urban Redevelopment Authority, Pittsburgh Public Schools, Kingsley Association, East Liberty Development, Dollar Bank, KBK Enterprises, Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board and Repair the World.
Strategic funders are the City of Pittsburgh, Urban Redevelopment Authority, Dollar Bank, Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board, The New App for Making It In America, Pittsburgh Public Schools and the Pittsburgh Promise.
Binion explained that the three core goals of Choice Neighborhoods are housing; to replace distressed public and assisted housing with high-quality mixed-income housing that is well-managed and responsive to the needs of the surrounding neighborhood; people, to improve educational outcomes and intergenerational mobility for youth with services and supports delivered directly to youth and their families; and neighborhood, to create the conditions necessary for public and private reinvestment in distressed neighborhoods to offer the kinds of amenities and assets, including safety, good schools, and commercial activity, that are important to families’ choices about their community.
A visionary from the mid-west, Binion marks his two year anniversary at the helm of the HACP and said he is sensitive to the needs of the residents he serves and he assures the FBO leaders that his compassion is just as strong for the Choice Neighborhoods Development. Recognizing that progress comes with pain, he assured Rev. Dr. Darryl Canady, pastor of the Rodman Street Missionary Baptist Church, that much assistance will be provided to help the residents as possible. Robert Germany said that senior citizens’ needs will be addressed and Alice Williams, executive director of the Women Empowered for Entrepreneurial Excellence, said that workforce development and self-sufficiency issues are a priority.
“This Choice Neighborhoods Initiative is big. It is different and is going to take the whole community for us to get things right,” said Binion. “We are a part of the community and our goal is to make sure the development is right.”
Summarizing the details of the comprehensive project, Davis emphasized that consistent contact with officials of the HACP or partners should occur. She encourages interested parties in any aspect of the development to reach out by contacting the HACP office at www.HACP.org or by contacting her at 412-456-5000 extension 8506.
