Facilitate

As a facilitator, ELDI does not always act as the lead project manager and usually does not incur the majority of development risk. Many examples exist, including the Eastside development, Penn Circle twoway conversion, tree plantings, and vacant lot transformation, but ELDI’s most fulfilling facilitation was the patient redevelopment of East Liberty Garden Apartments.

East Liberty Garden Apartments

The redevelopment of East Liberty Garden Apartments was set against the backdrop of the foreclosure of East Liberty’s three affordable housing towers—East Mall, Penn Circle, and Liberty Park—and the resulting stress of the swift evictions and demolitions that followed.

East Liberty Garden Apartments, known as “the Gardens,” was itself in the early stages of foreclosure in 2005 when Mr. Floyd Coles—the lone member of East Liberty Housing Inc. (ELHI), the owner of the Gardens—approached ELDI for help. It seemed like recent history would soon repeat itself and more low-income residents would be quickly told to find new housing.

However, working with the local U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development office, ELDI began to manage the property with the aim of stabilizing it for current tenants and guiding its long-term redevelopment. One of the goals was to retain the Section 8 project-based voucher attached to the property, as similar vouchers had been permanently lost when the three towers were demolished.

ELDI worked to stop the Garden’s foreclosure while property managers began the turnaround effort of the property, which had received failing units to create a winning application. With East Liberty Garden Apartments stabilized, ELDI came together with the Housing Authority, the City, the Larimer Consensus Group, and many other players to apply a third time for the grant. housing inspection scores for years. We also re-engaged the ELHI board with representatives from each of the founding organizations—East Liberty Presbyterian Church, Eastminster Presbyterian Church, and the Kingsley Association. By 2007, the property was fully stabilized, financially sound, and had an active board. During that time, the board and churches worked together to build a brand new playground, dedicated an on-site unit for a computer lab and meeting space, held semi-annual dinners to communicate with the residents, and even hosted an annual Christmas party for the tenants. This didn’t change the fact that the building was beyond its useful life, but it created community and communication about the future of the property.

Choice Grant

Enter the Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant. “Choice” is a highly competitive $30 million federal grant that requires a one-for-one replacement of affordable housing as well as additional mixed-income housing and other neighborhood amenities. The neighboring community of Larimer was working on their third application for the grant to help them jumpstart revitalization of the neighborhood after years of disinvestment. The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh had some housing in Larimer, but not enough

With much fanfare, the Choice Neighborhoods grant was awarded in the fall of 2014 and has now spurred multiple phases of mixed-income development in Larimer and East Liberty. In total, 334 new units are being constructed. 46% of those units are using Section-8 vouchers, 28% are affordable (60% or less than the Area Median Income), and 26% are market rate.

Unlike the hasty relocation of the earlier high-rise demolitions, residents of East Liberty Garden Apartments were assigned active case managers to assist logistically and financially with relocation. With this assistance, over half of the residents secured units in Cornerstone Village Apartments (pictured right) just one block away.

Desi-Rai LaPrade and Deshawn

Daniels are two of the East Liberty Garden Apartments residents who transitioned out of the development in 2015. During this transition, they were introduced to Catapult Greater Pittsburgh (formerly Circles Greater Pittsburgh) and Open Hand Ministries, and both are now proud homeowners in the East End, experiencing equity growth that can benefit their families now and for generations to come.

Ted Melnyk, ELHI board president and ELDI's director of operations, reflects on the results, ”This project has taught us again that when many partners come together around a comprehensive plan, we can make a difference that benefits the community for generations.”

The opening of Target in 2011 was the culmination of a long-term plan that designated the former Penn Circle Apartments site for a department store. It has created over 260 new jobs for local residents and has provided much needed access to goods and services for all East End residents.