Fair Housing

Filing a Complaint

Guidance and Information

Housing Resources

 

Fair Housing Partnership of Greater Pittsburgh

 

PghCHR is a Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP) with HUD, but FHP is our complementary Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP). They can advocate for clients, they do fair housing testing (the best evidence in a discrimination case) and they do policy research, advocacy and education.

Housing and Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh Housing Assistance Programs

Services Summary(PDF, 1MB) * Down Payment & Closing Cost Assistance Program(PDF, 1MB) * Home Accessibility Program for Independence(PDF, 700KB) * Homeowner Assistance Program(PDF, 412KB) * Housing Stabilization Program(PDF, 789KB) * Small Landlord Fund Program(PDF, 507KB) * Legal Assistance Program(PDF, 358KB)

U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Redevelopment (HUD)

Choices for All Voices(PDF, 1MB) * Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity (PAVE) Anniversary (video)

Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP)

Living in Public Housing (video) * Home Choice Vouchers (video)

First Commonwealth Bank Housing Assistance Programs

Rent vs Own Comparison(PDF, 587KB) * Low Down Payment Options(PDF, 645KB) * Home100 Mortgage Loan(PDF, 493KB) * First @ Home Mortgage Loan(PDF, 617KB) * To Don'ts When Applying for a Mortgage(PDF, 532KB) * Creating a Budget (video) * How to Establish and Repair Credit (video) * Understanding Credit Reports and Scores (video) * Credit Myths (video) * FCB Everyday (video)

Pittsburgh Hispanic Development Corporation (PHDC)

Rental Services for Tenants and Landlords * Homeownership Initiative

Human Rights City Alliance Pittsburgh

Human Rights Strategy and Action Plan Discussion Document

Just Mediation Pittsburgh

Rent & Utility Assistance Resources

City of Pittsburgh Office of Immigrant & Refugee Affairs

Lease Template & Feedback Form(PDF, 282KB) * Translatable Lease & Feedback Form(PDF, 253KB) * CDBG in the City of Pittsburgh (video)

 

Fair Housing Month

Fair Housing & Second Chance Month Summit

Stay tuned for information about Fair Housing Month 2025!

On April 3, 2024, fair housing advocates and professionals gathered in person at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater. The City Channel filmed it for us and we're so thankful.

"Fair Housing Connection: A Fair Housing Summit Bridging the Gaps Between People, Programs and Policies"

On April 28-29, 2023, fair housing advocates, professionals and the general public gathered both digitally and in person at the Homewood-Brushton YMCA to discuss fair housing in Pittsburgh.

 

Work Sharing & HUD

Work-sharing is the word for how we work with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as a "substantially equivalent" entity. We investigate cases in their stead and they help support us in doing so with grants and an ongoing contract.

If you were robbed, you'd report it...But most victims of housing discrimination don't. Why? Because today housing discrimination is subtle and sophisticated, which makes it harder to detect. Know your housing rights. According to the federal Fair Housing Act, it's illegal to consider race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability or familial status in rental, sales, lending or homeowner's insurance decisions. Don't let them rob you of your civil rights. Fair housing is the Law! The only way to stop discrimination is to fight it.

 

Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing

One part of what we do with HUD when we use its funds, particularly those from the city's Community Development Block Grant, is a mandate called "affirmatively furthering fair housing." In 2020, Pittsburgh's AFFH (Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing) Task Force released a final report after years of working on recommendations on how the City can engage in affirmatively furthering fair housing rather than only acting defensively by investigating and mediating housing discrimination after the fact. Here is the Final Report(PDF, 522KB) and for the main points, here's the Report Summary(PDF, 83KB).

Fair Housing Community Meeting Information

Thank you to everyone who attended our regional feedback sessions! At this time we are working to compile all of the community feedback to incorporate into the recommendations, and the final report of the Task Force.

Community Feedback Compiled During Our Regional Meetings

Below please find summaries of the Task Force recommendations discussed during the breakout sessions:

If you would like to review the complete draft recommendations, please contact us.

Overview

The Mission of the AFFH Task Force is to assist in jurisdictions’ efforts to affirmatively further fair housing through identifying barriers and disparities to fair housing and recommending policies to alleviate these barriers and disparities.

The Goal of the AFFH Task Force is to help assess current impediments to fair housing choice, and develop policy recommendations that affirmatively further fair housing (AFFH) for the upcoming Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH) for the City of Pittsburgh, and other jurisdictions.

The Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Task Force was initiated by the Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations in 2013 as a result of the FY 2012 Update to the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AI) study for the City of Pittsburgh. The AI recommended a “…Countywide Approach to Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing,” and suggested strategies toward the goal of “providing housing and economic opportunities for low and moderate income persons and protected classes to live and work outside impacted areas (Pg. 11).” The strategies include the following:

  • 7-A: The City and County’s Human Relations Commissions should establish an Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Task Force for the Pittsburgh Region with representatives from the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the City Housing Authority (HACP), the Allegheny County Housing Authority (ACHA), the other two federal CDBG Entitlement Communities in Allegheny County (McKeesport and Penn Hills), and other groups and organizations which promote fair housing.
  • 7-B: “The four Federal Entitlement jurisdictions should promote and encourage the development of affordable housing and encourage the development of affordable housing throughout the Pittsburgh Region in areas that are not economically or racially impacted.”
  • 7-C: “Improve intergovernmental and interagency cooperation in sharing all information pertaining to discrimination cases filed within the jurisdiction of the City of Pittsburgh (Pg. 11).”

Urban Design Ventures. Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice. United States. City of Pittsburgh. Department of City Planning. 22 Feb.2013. Web. 17 May 2016.

Learn more about Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing.

AFFH Press Releases

AFFH Press ConferenceApril 11, 2018 press conference to release the Task Force community engagement plan. Pictured: Cheryl Fuller, Helen Gerhardt, Carlos Torres, and Paul O'Hanlon

Videos

April 2018 50th Anniversary of the Fair Housing Act

April 2017 Fair Housing Month
The Commission held an exhibit in the City-County Building lobby to spread the word on fair housing. Commissioner Gerhardt, member of the Housing Committee and Chair of the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Task Force, spoke to the City's communications team regarding the Commission's role in furthering fair housing in the City of Pittsburgh.

  • Special thanks to David Finer, Alex Fisher and their crew! See more of their work at @CityChannelPGH

Residential Segregation: What are the Remedies?
by Richard Rothstein (Introduction by Deputy Director Sarah Kinter)

September 21, 2016

Links

 

 

 

CHR Sections

last updated: 11/08/2025

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