The Pittsburgh Planning Commission on Tuesday recommended that City Council approve a bill that would make it easier to build transitional housing for homeless people, including so-called “tiny homes.”
The bill sets rules to allow developers to build “interim housing” — or facilities for homeless people to live temporarily until they’re able to find permanent housing — in specifically-zoned parts of the city. The transitional housing could include converting vacant apartment buildings or other buildings located in densely populated areas and small, newly constructed “tiny homes.” The bill stipulates that the cluster of homes can only be in one location for four years, at most.
The city’s crowded shelters have left many homeless people living outside while they wait for beds to open up. This new bill aims to alleviate the backlog at existing shelters, according to Deb Gross, city council member and co-author of the bill.
“These programs have a proven track record in breaking down the barriers, and the zoning code will be vital to their success in Pittsburgh,” said James Murray, speaking on behalf of Gross. “The interim housing category addresses homelessness by providing a tool that will provide residents with services and dignity. It will allow service providers to develop safe temporary structures or convert existing structures into spaces where people have shelter with amenities such as heat, bathing and bathroom facilities and social services, so that they can get back on their feet.”
This isn’t the first time interim housing marked by new villages of “tiny homes” has been floated by the planning commission. Last year, the bill’s sponsors, council members Gross and Anthony Coghill, proposed a similar bill. It lost momentum after the commission voiced concerns that having new code for homeless communities could unintentionally outlaw existing homeless camps.
A new version of this proposal was put into a broader set of zoning changes as a part of Mayor Ed Gainey’s plan to grow affordable housing — and then taken out to be considered on their own.
This new bill asks for a special exception for this kind of housing to be built in zoning districts across the city where hotel and motel uses are allowed, as long as certain conditions are met. These include meeting health and public safety codes and only operating in one location for four years at most.
From San Francisco, Ca. to Springfield, Mo., communities across the country have been building tiny house villages in an effort to expand housing for homeless people. The number of houses in a village and materials used to build these temporary private dwellings vary — from factory-built models with kitchenettes to repurposed shipping containers. Most of these developments are concentrated along the West Coast, according to a recent analysis in GeoJournal.
Studies have found that these homes offer more residents more independence than traditional shelters and are cheaper to build than other forms of housing. But critics worry that these temporary homes divert funds away from building more permanent housing.
With a thumbs up from planning, the bill goes back to City Council for a final vote before any changes could go into effect.
