PITTSBURGH, PA (November 2, 2020) Mayor William Peduto and officials from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) held a walking tour event today to showcase some of the homes that received roof and façade improvements from the Larimer Choice Neighborhoods Homeowner Assistance Program (CNHAP).
Larimer CNHAP was a program offered as part of the $30 million Federal Choice Neighborhoods Implementation (CNI) grant that was awarded to Larimer and East Liberty in 2013 by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The program began in 2016 and has provided grants up to $20,000 to 90 homeowners within the Larimer Choice Neighborhoods boundary to complete façade, roof, sidewalk, and other exterior repairs. The total funding for the program was $1.6 million from the CNI grant and community development block grants.
The City, HACP, and URA worked with representatives from the community-based homeowner advocacy group Larimer Community Watchers and the Larimer Consensus Group to prepare the program’s guidelines and identify eligible homeowners. The URA administered the program and offered technical assistance to help owners identify contractors and facilitate inspection work throughout construction.
Additional funding was leveraged to help homeowners with interior repairs to address major health and safety concerns as a condition of CNHAP from the URA, Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh, Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh (sponsored by PNC Bank), and Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati (sponsored by Dollar Bank).
One resident recipient, Eugenia Newman, said of the program: “I thought that the program was awesome. The program helped me and others to keep us in our homes. I tell my grandchildren that having a home is one thing, but being able to keep it up is another thing. I am very grateful for the assistance that the program provided and I give thanks to those who provided the funding.”
Today’s walking tour showcased only a small sampling of the 90 homes renovated as part of the CNHAP. The tour also included three parks currently under construction as part of the Larimer Choice grant: Village Green, Larimer Playground, and Liberty Green.
