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Janet Evans Reappointed to Housing Authority Board, Urges Stronger Tenant Councils at Glen Hazel
Summary
Longtime housing authority board member Janet Evans described efforts to organize tenant councils, improve services and secure on-site supports such as social workers and Wi‑Fi vans at Glen Hazel during a pre-agenda interview April 9; members praised her experience and said they will vote on her reappointment next week.
Janet Evans, a longtime member of the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh board of directors, spoke at a council pre-agenda interview April 9 about her work with tenant councils and efforts to improve the Glen Hazel high-rise where she lives.
Evans said she has served on the housing authority board for more than 20 years and credited tenant councils with giving residents a channel to raise problems with property management. “I was a president for a long time of my tenant council because I was able to talk with management,” Evans said, adding that regular contact with managers helped secure services such as social work support and other resident needs.
During questioning, council members and staff asked Evans about tenant-organizing strategies and how to revive councils at properties with high turnover in management. Councilman Schorlin said he was “very interested in the concept of tenants councils” and asked Evans what she would advise other residents seeking to reactivate a council.
Evans described practical steps she has used at Glen Hazel: building relationships with management, encouraging regular monthly meetings between tenant leaders and property staff, and appealing for on-site social services. She said the high-rise where she lives has seen a recent decline in conditions—evacuations, elevator outages, missing furniture and delays in repairs—and said she is working with housing authority directors to address those issues. “As of September of this year, the high rise in the area will be 50 years older,” Evans said, describing the property’s age as part of the context for needed repairs.
Evans also described community programs she has supported, including an accessible ‘‘Wi‑Fi on Wheels’’ van that brings computers and digital training to residents, and said she encouraged the authority to hire from within when feasible. Council members and a housing authority staff member confirmed elections and tenant council organizing are in progress at some properties and said they will follow up with Evans to share best practices.
The committee thanked Evans for her long service. The chair said her reappointment will come to a formal vote next week.
Notes: Evans identified herself as a Glen Hazel resident and as having served on the Port Authority accessibility committees and founding the Access Task Force in the late 1970s. She advocated for tenant councils, regular meeting schedules, and local social-service partners to assist residents with mobility and health needs.
