Pittsburgh officials, tenants and advocates press HUD and owners over reported failures at MB Affordable properties

PITTSBURGH — City council members, tenants, housing advocates and federal and county officials met in a post-agenda session Jan. 29 to address repeated complaints about living conditions at properties owned by MB Affordable and managed by related firms, including reports of bed bugs, rodents, mold, raw sewage, extended water outages and units without heat.

Councilman Kahari Moseley opened the session saying, "We are here today because our city is facing a housing crisis at a magnitude our city has not seen in decades," and urged that protecting "the existing affordable housing in our city" be central to the response.

The meeting brought multiple strands of concern together: residents’ testimony and tenant organizing; a timeline of the MB Affordable purchase and promises of investment; local government inspections and the limits of city enforcement; federal oversight by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD); unpaid local vendors; and proposals from nonprofits and advocates for emergency fixes and long-term transfer of troubled buildings to responsible owners.

Why the session matters: dozens of subsidized units in and near Pittsburgh are governed by federal contracts. If HUD abates Housing Assistance Payment contracts or otherwise withdraws support, tenants could be displaced and the city would struggle to house residents quickly, witnesses and officials said. Several speakers warned that aggressive federal enforcement could produce mass displacement unless local partners and nonprofit developers are ready to assume control or offer alternatives.

What speakers reported and documented - Acquisition and complaints: Councilman Moseley summarized that MB Affordable acquired a portfolio of former ARCO properties in March 2023 that included buildings in Homewood, the Hill District, Oakland and Rankin. He said the buyer pledged more than $10 million for improvements but that tenants and local advocates quickly reported widespread problems. - Health and safety allegations: Presenters and resident organizers described persistent infestations (bed bugs, roaches, mice), leaking plumbing, raw sewage, nonworking boilers, mold and units occupied without refrigeration or hot water. Ashley Bryant, neighborhood engagement coordinator in the mayor’s office, said visiting tenants documented ‘‘holes in the…