Pittsburgh commission director reports steady contracts but CDBG uncertainty; outlines housing-protection push and outreach calendar

PITTSBURGH — The commission’s director reported at the March 3 monthly meeting that the agency’s federal contracts remain “secure for now,” but Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding that has supported local fair‑housing work is uncertain.

The director said work is under way to expand public education and to explore adding housing status as a protected class in the city code so people experiencing homelessness would not face housing discrimination. She also outlined a busy spring schedule of trainings, public events and outreach tabling across Pittsburgh.

Why it matters: The commission enforces local civil‑rights provisions and helps people pursue remedies for discrimination. Federal and local grant funding support education, intake and investigation work; any cut in CDBG dollars could affect outreach and program capacity. Adding housing status to city protections would change how landlords and housing providers may screen applicants within Pittsburgh, if the change is adopted by city council and written into the city code.

Director’s funding update and casework The director said the commission “does receive federal funding. Our contracts are secure for now.” She added that one federal grant (EEOC funding) had been reduced earlier and that the current concern is whether CDBG funds allocated in last year’s plan — roughly $100,000 per year for affirmative fair‑housing work in prior budgets — will be available when allocations are finalized later this summer. The director said the commission is “still just waiting to hear” on CDBG and that allocations are usually confirmed around August.

On caseloads, the director gave specific counts: 38 open investigations, 21 pending intakes, 38 cases awaiting responses before assignment, eight pending mandatory conciliations, three cases in court, and four cases at the public‑hearing stage. She said compliance review had 20 matters this month and that four of the compliance matters ended in settlements.

Housing‑status protection discussion The director described ongoing conversations with community partners who work with people experiencing homelessness and said advocates argue adding housing status to the city code would prevent discrimination based on gaps in housing history. “If we were to get housing status added as a protection to the city code, then that would essentially mean that, at least in housing anyway, that you couldn't discriminate against someone who is seeking housing,” she said. The director said advocates expect such a change would make it easier to place people who have funding to pay for housing but have gaps in their rental history.

She framed the proposed change as a local policy option under city council authority; no ordinance or formal council action on the proposal was presented at the meeting.

Appointments, staffing and interagency support The director said two nominations were submitted to the mayor’s office for commission appointment last week — Richard Morris (a former Urban League housing director) and Isabel Ruiz Flint — and that three additional nominations were reported to be in the pipeline. She said the commission currently has about five vacancies and several members serving on expired terms.

The director described cross‑jurisdictional assistance the commission is providing, including sharing templates and case‑management practices with smaller municipal agencies (examples cited: Baltimore City and Reading, Pa.) and offering technical guidance about the commission’s Creatio case‑management setup. She also noted the commission’s investigator network and interns are collaborating with local groups on homelessness and reentry issues.

Code revisions, rules and access for pro se complainants The director said the commission finalized proposed revisions to the civil‑rights portion of the Pittsburgh City Code and submitted them to the solicitor (identified as Falco) for review; the revision package includes adding protected classes and clarifying cross‑filing procedures with the Office of Municipal Investigations. She said the commission is revising its rules and regulations to make the public‑hearing and filing process more accessible for pro se complainants.

Outreach, events and trainings The director outlined upcoming public events and training dates: a fair‑housing training for landlords on March 21 (9:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m., Cohatch Southside Works), a presentation in East Liberty on March 24, a Fair Housing Summit co‑sponsored with the Human Rights City Alliance on April 5 (9 a.m.–4 p.m., Frick Fine Arts Building) and tabling at the Allegheny County Anchored Reentry Summit on April 25. The commission will hold its April 7 community‑based meeting at the North Side Allegheny Library (6–8 p.m.), combining a brief business meeting with a public presentation on local nondiscrimination protections and possible additional protections such as housing status or criminal‑history limits.

Other work and partnerships The director reported recent collaborations with organizations including Beyond the Bridge (film screening plans), Bridge to the Mountains, the Greater Pittsburgh League of Women Voters and NeighborWorks, and outreach to Neighborhood Legal Services staff on domestic‑violence housing protections. She also said the commission is trying to be added to the city’s 3‑1‑1 platform for easier public access.

Votes at a glance - Motion to accept the Feb./monthly meeting minutes: moved by Commissioner (speaker 2), seconded by Rachel (Director); carried by voice vote (all present voted yes). - Motion to adjourn: moved by Rachel (Director), seconded by Commissioner (speaker 2); carried by voice vote (all present voted yes).

What was not decided There was no formal vote on adding housing status to the city code, no ordinance was presented, and no timeline for submitting an ordinance to city council was given. The director said the code revisions have been submitted to the solicitor for review but did not give a schedule for council consideration.

The meeting closed with the director noting ongoing staffing needs, the pending solicitor review of code updates and plans for outreach events in April.