IN-DEPTH
Former parishioners are trying to save an Allentown church building closed by the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh
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“Nothing resembles an old church. You don’t get that back. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.”
IN-DEPTH
As the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh announces mergers, here’s what it means for parishioners and church buildings left behind
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In September 2017, the diocese’s On Mission Commission announced initial recommendations for whittling the number of parishes down to 48. On Thursday, April 26, Zubik will share final plans for consolidations with priests and deacons before holding a press conference on April 28 to make the decisions public. Groupings will also be shared at weekend Masses and made available online. But how are parishioners affected when the diocese closes their home churches? And what happens to church buildings once their parishioners migrate and they’re left empty?
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Instead of preparing for an unwanted move, this Bethesda-Homewood resident prepared a federal lawsuit
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Peering through glasses, 52-year-old Tyrone Goodwin reread the first lines of a letter from his apartment management company, Aishel Real Estate. “As you are aware, effective November 1, HUD is discontinuing subsidy to the property. This means that they are no longer paying the rent for your unit.”
The letter was dated Oct. 27, 2017, just four days before the subsidy for his one-bedroom apartment in Homewood was to end. And this was the first he’d heard from the landlord of his Bethesda-Homewood property about it.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Can a provisional new owner prevent displacement and rebuild the Bethesda-Homewood homes?
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A Pittsburgh-based real estate investment company has inked a tentative deal to purchase the troubled Bethesda-Homewood properties — a collection of 141 low-income housing units in Homewood, Larimer and Garfield, the company’s CEO told PublicSource.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Pittsburgh is hoping to preserve many of the low-income Bethesda-Homewood housing units
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After weeks of scrambling to assist the tenants, city officials and local community groups may have hashed out a plan to salvage the units that can be rehabilitated and to keep HUD’s funding eligible at the properties — or at least within the city of Pittsburgh. So it’s possible, though not certain, that tenants like Makeela and her dad could stay in their homes.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Will McKinley Park upgrades improve the struggling Beltzhoover community or leave its longtime residents behind?
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Longtime residents may not be able to afford higher rents, homeowners may struggle to keep up with rising property taxes, retiring seniors may have few ready buyers except for outside investors.