In Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood a dispute has arisen about a proposed development of 162 new condominium units on Commercial Avenue.

From a fair housing perspective, remember that the historic creation of municipal zoning was based on legally allowable racial segregation including within the @citypgh. Today, the development site’s census tract has a 4.5% Black alone population in a city with a 22.9% Black alone population.

In fact, the public park that is at the center of the dispute is bordered on all sides by communities with Black alone populations that are less than 5.0%.

To meaningfully address Pittsburgh’s racial segregation, we need both new housing units and that new housing developments include affordable units.

Be a part of making Pittsburgh a more inclusive and diverse city for all by supporting additional housing developments that includes affordable units.

Willie Pearl Mackey King sat down with Lisa Rice, the CEO of the @nationalfairhousingalliance at the #NFHA2023NationalConference. Mrs. King was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s secretary at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Mrs. King was with Dr. King when he was arrested in Birmingham, AL for leading a march protesting racial segregation.

Mrs. King, along with Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker, transcribed Dr. King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail from whatever scraps of paper Dr. King could find in jail because he was not allowed any paper.

Mrs. King described how she didn’t tell her family and friends that she was working for Dr. King and the SCLC to protect them from retaliation for her involvement in the Civil Rights movement. When asked by her mother who she was travelling with, Mrs. King responded, “A group of guys.”

Make sure to read Dr. King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail!

While we all are coping with the current heat wave, remember that “The Negro Motorist Green Book” exhibit at the @historycenter includes the previous racial segregation of America’s beaches.

Only 7 beaches were ever included in the Green Book as being safe for Black travelers.

The exhibit explains that “Unlike beaches for white Americans, ‘colored beaches’ were seldom supported by local authorities, and therefore lacked finances for basic safety and health standards. Even at the beach, Black Americans were at greater risk of harm simply for the color of their skin.”

The exhibit continues until August 13, 2023.

Fair Housing Assistance Programs, or FHAPs, are state and local enforcement agencies that contract with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development @hudgov for investigating fair housing complaints. FHAPs provide enforcement of state and local fair housing laws that is substantially equivalent to HUD’s enforcement of the federal Fair Housing Act.

Currently, the Commission on Human Relations within the city of Pittsburgh @mayoredgainey is the only FHAP within Pennsylvania @governorshapiro. FHAP status is indicative of support by the state or local government to meaningfully address fair housing.

On July 7, 2023, HUD announced a critical 6.5% increase in FHAP funding. “It is HUD’s mission to combat unlawful housing discrimination, and programs like the Fair Housing Assistance Program give communities the resources necessary to protect them from all acts of housing discrimination,” said Marcia L. Fudge, HUD Secretary.

FHP is a proud to continue its partnerships with HUD and CHR for upholding housing discrimination laws in Pittsburgh.

The Fair Housing Partnership’s staff recently visited the “The Negro Motorist Green Book” exhibit at the Heinz History Center @historycenter

The exhibit reflected on The Green Book, an early 20th century guide that provided safe locations for Black travelers in the United States to frequent. The overwhelming majority of Pittsburgh’s businesses in The Green Book were in the Hill District. The Civil Rights Act that prohibited racial discrimination within public accommodations such as restaurants and hotels was not enacted until 1964.

Today, 22.9% of Pittsburghers are Black whereas 79% of the Pittsburghers who live in the Hill District neighborhoods are Black, based on the 2020 census.

The impact of the historic racial segregation within our city’s neighborhoods continues reverberating in 2023.

Visit the exhibit before it closes on August 13, 2023!

From 2010 to 2020, the city of Pittsburgh lost 13.4% of its Black residents while losing only 0.89% of Pittsburgh residents overall.

In this map of the city of Pittsburgh, brown represents a loss of Black residents and green represents an increase of Black residents.

Yet, while some Pittsburgh neighborhoods lost Black residents, the neighborhoods’ overall population increased. For example, East Liberty lost 1,362 Black residents but increased its overall population by 318.

Housing choice means that there are housing units in each neighborhood that allows for all families to choose where they live.

Understand how the displacement of Black Pittsburghers has impacted your neighborhood in this interactive map by the University of Pittsburgh: https://wprdc-maps.carto.com/u/wprdc/builder/e3d72dfc-a574-434b-8cf3-0654658d8f88/embed?state=%7B%22map%22%3A%7B%22ne%22%3A%5B40.35151549537612%2C-80.17547607421876%5D%2C%22sw%22%3A%5B40.54015607973717%2C-79.79679107666017%5D%2C%22center%22%3A%5B40.44590196740629%2C-79.98613357543947%5D%2C%22zoom%22%3A12%7D%7D

In 1988, Disability was added to the Fair Housing Act as a protected class.

In 2020, @hudgov issued Notice FHEO-2020-01 (https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/PA/documents/HUDAsstAnimalNC1-28-2020.pdf) detailing that the Fair Housing Act allows for emotional support animals in housing as needed by people with disabilities.

Dormitories are covered by the Fair Housing Act.

University and college students with disabilities who require an emotional support animal are allowed to have their emotional support animal in their dorm.

Emotional support animals, and other assistive devices, provide people with disabilities with their independence.

Students with disabilities must provide documentation from a third party with personal knowledge of their disability. However, diagnosis, details or severity, medical records, or a medical examination cannot be required.

If you have questions about requesting the allowance of an emotional support animal, contact us at www.fhp.org

2023 is the 55th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act.

The @amhistorymuseum exhibit “Within These Walls” commemorates the 1968 passage of the Fair Housing Act by exhorting that, “The success of the act depended-and still depends-on individuals and communities who demand that government agencies and the courts enforce its protections.”

The National Association of Realtors is continuing its sponsorship of the exhibit through 2030.

We honor the civil rights leaders who came before us by building on their work.

Allegheny County has reduced the Common Level Ratio that calculates the value of the property that is taxed. As a result, property owners are likely to have their property taxes reduced if they appeal.

Homeowners you can appeal your property tax assessments for 2022 and 2023 until March 31, 2023.

In 2021, Pittsburgh artist Harrison Kinnane Smith and Jordan B. Abbott created Sed Valorem, an art exhibit that was displayed at The Mattress Factory. Sed Valorem determined that within the City of Pittsburgh that Black homeowners have, on average, property tax values that are 7.5% higher than white homeowners. Additionally, the most expensive homes are taxed at 65% of their sales price while the least expensive homes are taxed at nearly twice their sales value.

Lower-value property owners paying the highest property taxes results in regional racial disparities amongst homeowners.

Be a part of regional change and appeal your property taxes! The forms are available here: https://www.alleghenycounty.us/real-estate/forms.aspx

Read more about the process at WESA here: https://www.wesa.fm/politics-government/2023-02-23/allegheny-county-property-assessment-how-to-appeal-lawsuit

FHP is grateful to Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Nikitra Bailey, the Executive Vice President of the National Fair Housing Alliance, for their support of “Pennsylvania Priorities” that includes housing choice for Pennsylvanians with disabilities.

PA’s aged housing stock results in entire neighborhoods being inaccessible. As a result, not only are Pennsylvanians with disabilities barred from moving in but they are required to move out when they become disabled, or their disability-related symptoms worsen.

Municipalities are obligated to the federal Fair Housing Act.

In 2023, FHP’s priorities include municipalities having a reasonable accommodation process for residential requests. Reasonable accommodation requests include a reserved street parking space for persons with disabilities or to the permit process for housing modifications required due to a disability.

We are excited to collaborate on our shared goal of an accessible Pennsylvania!