Our mission is to empower low and moderate income residents to become home owners in their community and as stakeholders strengthen their neighborhoods and improve their quality of life. Pittsburgh Housing Development Association, Inc. (PHDA) was established as a community housing advocate group in 1982. Our founding members were residents of Pittsburgh’s East End who were concerned with the community’s lack of decent affordable housing. Among other actions, they urged Pittsburgh City Council to increase Community Development Block Grant funding to address this problem in the Homewood-Brushton neighborhood. One of our community meetings during this time received coverage from the Post-Gazette. Our organization has evolved through the years, but one fundamental belief remains the same: efforts should focus on rehabilitating existing housing stock that will be affordable for low and moderate income homebuyers. This approach has many benefits: economic growth through construction-related jobs, a substantial increase in property taxes, and more residents who have a real stake in strengthening the community.
