Half of Hazelwood homes repaired by Hazelwood Initiative and Rebuilding Together Pgh | The Homepage

Message from Hazelwood Initiative, publisher of The Homepage

Hazelwood Initiative's "Development Without Displacement" strategy has three parts: preserving affordable rental housing, helping Hazelwood renters become homeowners, and helping existing homeowners maintain their homes so that they can stay in their homes.

Since 2015, as funding has permitted, the Discount Home Repair program has helped homeowners stay in their homes by paying 50% to 90% of the cost of home repairs. The homeowner pays the balance and determines what work gets done. A major grant from the Hillman Foundation enabled Hazelwood Initiative to re-launch the program in March of this year. All the funds were committed in less than two months! Clearly this program meets a vital need.

Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh has frequently been a partner in this program, in addition to the free repair program they offer throughout the region. For three years, this organization made Hazelwood an "Impact Neighborhood," focusing their work here and providing free repairs to more than 200 Hazelwood residents.

Hazelwood Initiative has completed or committed to an additional 42 homes through its Discount Home Repair Program; 13 more homes were repaired with Neighborhood Investment Fund COVID-19 grants. This means that the two organizations have helped almost half of Hazelwood homeowners with needed home repairs. That is real impact!

Discount Home Repair programs - like this one and the upcoming statewide Whole Home Repair Program funded by the 2022-2023 state budget - allow homeowners to hire reputable professionals to fix the systems that their homes, health and safety depend upon. Electrical and plumbing upgrades; new roofs, windows and doors; new sidewalks, brickwork and repair of water damage all make homes safer, healthier and more affordable to live in.

The October community meeting will be on October 11 from 6-8 p.m.

Register in advance at https://bit.ly/2SwPr9k.

Call in to listen at (646) 558-8656.

Meeting ID: 853 9182 9343 Passcode: 796212

Sign up to get a free tree (or two) for your yard on October 20 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Order your tree at https://bit.ly/3BkvzMB. Limit two per household.