Meeting over plans to address homelessness postponed

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Frustration is mounting in Pittsburgh over plans to address homelessness.

A City Planning Commission meeting on Tuesday to address a controversial proposal was postponed while further discussions continue. The meeting was scheduled for 2 p.m. at the City-County Building.

City leaders are divided over dueling housing proposals to address homelessness in the city. Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith has proposed one, while the city has proposed the other.

Kail-Smith alleges the city's plan would allow for buildings such as schools and nursing homes to be tuned into homeless shelters with no public input.

"I'm very concerned about them wanting to be able to do anything and place people in places where I have small kids," said Sonja Bey, who lives on Mount Washington. "They walk down the street."

Dozens of people flooded the sixth floor of the City-County Building for the meeting on Tuesday to let their voices be heard. But they never got the chance.

Kail-Smith said the administration met earlier on Tuesday and pushed for a public process that could allow for public input.

"We are going to ask for a continuous," Kail-Smith said to the crowd. "And I apologize, and I know you all came down here. You don't understand how important it was to have you here. You are key to the city of Pittsburgh."

The plan is to have a meeting in four weeks, and that meeting will be in the evening.

"We're very upset that it's been postponed because we feel the city is doing things behind our back," Kathy Welling said. "We are landlords. We have our own properties in the city, and we pay a lot of money to have them upgraded. We don't mind the homeless being in our area. But we need to know these things."

A spokesperson for Mayor Ed Gainey's office said it was always going to allow for public comment. In response to claims that the office plans on converting buildings into homeless shelters, the spokesperson said there is a checks and balances system, and changes of use of a school or nursing home must go through the zoning board.

Kail-Smith will introduce her own legislation, but the mayor's spokesperson said her plan is costly and will make the rezoning process longer.