City seeking displaced high-rise residents -- finally - News - News - Pittsburgh City Paper

Often, people vote with their feet. Does the city just think that the people are going to get kicked out and then hang out?

Pittsburgh - City seeking displaced high-rise residents -- finally - News - News - Pittsburgh City Paper More than three years ago, to make room for new development, the city's Urban Redevelopment Authority displaced nearly 300 families from the low-income high-rises in East Liberty. Today, new housing is going up in the neighborhood, but city housing officials are wondering where the people are.

Former residents have first claim on the rent-subsidized units in the new housing complexes. They filled up the more than 30 units in Penn Manor, which opened in January at North St. Clair Street and Penn Avenue. But officials have lost contact with many of the displaced families -- about 150 by URA estimate. As more than 100 new housing units become available at the former high-rise sites by this fall, officials are anxious to hear from those who wish to return.

The URA wants to do outreach, but people don't know about LERTA. When the URA does outreach to the people, duck. History says, URA outreach is more often a smack down.

Too little, too late.

It is no wonder that the police have a hard time getting witnesses to come forward when crimes occur.