Pittsburg, PA

Pittsburg to Enter Into Agreement With County for Homeless Services

Published

2 years ago

June 17, 2024

Pittsburg to Enter Into Agreement With County for Homeless Services

On Monday, the Pittsburg City Council is being asked to approve a 3-year agreement with Contra Costa health Services for homeless outreach.

The move comes as the latest Contra Costa County Point in Time Count showed the City of Pittsburg saw an increase in homelessness between 2023 to 2024. It jumped from 58 to 110.

According to the three-year contract, the total cost is $880,848 for a Coordinated Outreach Referral and Engagement (CORE) program services to assist individuals living in a state of homelessness within the boundaries of Pittsburg.

The Agreement will be funded by $874,738 in PHLA funds and Housing Successor Agency (HSA) funds will be used to pay for the difference between the total cost of the Agreement and the PLHA grant funds, which is anticipated to be $6,110. HSA funds will also be used as an advance in the event that HCD is delayed in remitting the grant funds to the City.

Through the State’s Project Home Key program, the County acquired Motel 6 and turned it into a permanent shelter named Delta Landing in 2022. Conversion of Motel 6 into a shelter has financially impacted the City because Motel 6 was no longer able to generate and pay transient occupancy tax to the City. To help ease some of the impacts, the County funded a CORE Team dedicated to Pittsburg (Pittsburg CORE Team) for fiscal years 2021/22 and 2022/23. The County’s funding of the Pittsburg CORE Team expired on June 30, 2023.

The CORE program works to engage and stabilize homeless persons and families through consistent outreach and to refer the unhoused to resources such as shelters, daytime drop-in care centers, emergency food, job training, healthcare, mental health counseling, transportation, substance abuse treatment, and other services. CORE teams serve as an entry point into the County’s coordinated entry system for the unhoused and work to locate, engage, stabilize, and house chronically homeless individuals and families.

Pursuant to the Initial Agreement, the Pittsburg CORE Team consists of 2 staff members who will each work 40 hours per week, Monday-Friday, 8 am-4 pm. The work schedule may be revised based on the City’s needs. The Pittsburg CORE Team will provide the following services:

Identify and initiate contacts with homeless individuals living on the streets, assess their housing and service needs, and facilitate connections to shelter, benefits, behavioral health and primary healthcare services.
Respond to calls for outreach and engagement from the City staff.
Conduct a standardized intake and needs assessment assuring all homeless individuals contacted are entered into the Homeless Management Information System used by the Contractor.
Conduct VI-SPDAT (Vulnerability Index-Service Prioritization Assistance Tool), a housing assessment tool assuring that homeless individuals who are provided services hereunder are entered into the Coordinated Entry system for prioritizing their needs for longer term housing.
Partner with assigned City officer(s) during CORE Team’s work shifts throughout the week as needed and as determined by the City.
Connect homeless individuals, also designated as “homeless clients,” via phone or in person with other points in the homeless service continuum including, but not limited to, interim housing, substance abuse treatment, mental health counseling, benefits, etc.
Perform special assignments that include, but not limited to, homeless counts and presentations.
Conduct patrols of strategic areas within the city limits on foot and via vehicle.
Observe and report threats to the health and/or safety of homeless individuals (or threats by homeless individuals to the health or safety of others) encountered in the field and determine the need to request for uniformed police, fire or other emergency personnel.
Maintain direct communications with the City’s Police Department to report illegal activity.
CORE Team supervisors and outreach workers will participate in monthly meetings with the City’s Police Management, as well as with public and private partners as deemed appropriate by the City.
Contractor will provide a monthly report to the City which will describe the services rendered during the previous 30 days, as well as the names of the persons rendering the service

According to the staff report, the homeless crisis is not particular to any city. Because most cities do not have the resources to tackle homeless issues on their own, many cities partner with counties and service providers as an efficient and cost effective way of addressing homelessness.

The City is no different. For example, the City uses some of its Community Development Block Grant funds to fund organizations who provide meals and conduct food distribution and administer healthcare services to the unhoused. Various housing funds have been used to assist projects that constructed residential units for those who were previously homeless or at the verge of homelessness. The City also provides in-kind services to assist the shower program offered to the unhoused. The City is dedicated to working with its partners in providing resources and assisting in the homeless efforts.

If You Go:

Pittsburg City Council Meeting
June 17, 2024 at 7:00 pm
65 Civic Avenue, Pittsburg

Staff Report, click here
Agreement, click here

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Pittsburg, PA

Puppy zipped in suitcase almost ready for adoption at Pittsburgh rescue

Published

8 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

Puppy zipped in suitcase almost ready for adoption at Pittsburgh rescue

A puppy is being cared for by the Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh in Homewood after police said his owner zipped him inside a suitcase on Christmas Day.

When you see him, you would never know how his little life got started. The little white dog loves to play and has quickly become a favorite at HARP.

However, nearly two weeks ago, Pittsburgh police said his owner, 56-year-old Jayme White, zipped him inside a suitcase she was carrying on Christmas Day. They said a witness told them she was yelling at the dog and hit it several times before putting it in the bag.

A puppy is being cared for by the Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh in Homewood after police said his owner zipped him inside a suitcase on Christmas Day.

(Photo: KDKA)

Now White is facing several charges, including animal neglect and public drunkenness.

HARP executive director Dan Cody said animal control brought them the puppy the next morning.

“When the dog arrived, he was in relatively good condition, given the circumstances,” Cody said.

They couldn’t find any signs of physical abuse.

“He was a little bit shy, but he very quickly warmed up,” Cody said.

They believe he’s about two and a half months old now, and expect he’ll be a large breed. Most importantly, they said he’s completely healthy.

“He’s just so energetic and loving,” Cody said.

The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office told KDKA that White has surrendered custody of the animal to the rescue, so once he’s neutered, microchipped and vaccinated, he should be up for adoption in the coming days.

“We’ll find a great home for him,” Cody said.

While the circumstances remain unclear, Cody hopes this case serves as a reminder that owning a pet comes with a great responsibility.

“If you do know someone who is struggling or needs help, we are a place where you can come for resources,” Cody said.

White is now out of jail after a judge ruled she get a mental health evaluation. Her preliminary hearing is set for April.

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Pittsburg, PA

Light rain is expected to arrive in the Pittsburgh area this afternoon

Published

20 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

Light rain is expected to arrive in the Pittsburgh area this afternoon

Ron Smiley

January 6, 2026 / 6:08 AM EST
/ CBS Pittsburgh

Light rain is expected to arrive in the Pittsburgh area this afternoon with the best chance for rain coming later in the week.

Any Alert Days Ahead? No

Aware: Snow continues to melt, with yesterday’s snow depth measuring 2″ still. Thursday will be a good day for most to ‘clean the yard’.

Snow continues to slowly melt off. Today should be a big day with light rain and warm temperatures helping to bring snow depth totals in Pittsburgh down from yesterday’s 2″ down to an inch or less by Wednesday morning. By Wednesday evening, most of the snow will be off the ground, with exceptions for shaded areas.

KDKA Weather Center

If you have dogs, Thursday is going to be the best time to get outside to ‘clean the yard’. Our best chance for rain this week comes Friday through Saturday, with rain and some rumbles expected.

For today, rain chances arrive right at noon and stick around through 7 a.m. on Wednesday. Rain totals will not be very impressive. I am only expecting five hundredths of an inch or less for most places. The best chance for rain will probably occur around 7 p.m this evening through around 10 p.m. A lot of your afternoon will be dry.

When it comes to temperatures, morning lows dipped to the low 30s this morning and highs today should be around 50 degrees. Yesterday’s high of 47 degrees was a good four degrees warmer than what I forecast for our daily high. It felt amazing outside. We will see more ‘mild’ weather this week with highs in the mid-40s on Wednesday behind the rain. Thursday highs should hit the mid-50s. I still have Friday highs near 60 degrees.

Before wrapping things up, I do want to quickly talk about Sunday morning’s weather with rain, snow, & sleet all expected over just a couple of hours. Travel in some spots will be slowed with the rapid drop in temperatures, slick conditions, and windy conditions. At this point, the usual suspects of the Ridges, Laurel Highlands, places north of I-80, and the snowbelt of Armstrong and Indiana counties will be most impacted. We will continue to have more on timing and what to expect for the rest of the week, but at least for now, I wanted to give an early warning about what is heading our way.

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Corey O’Connor promises to push for growth as new Pittsburgh mayor

Published

1 day ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

Corey O’Connor promises to push for growth as new Pittsburgh mayor

In his inaugural address, Mayor Corey O’Connor promised to pull Pittsburgh out of financial troubles and turn the city around.

He says he’ll make tough decisions to cut costs, improve services and strengthen public safety by rebuilding the Pittsburgh police force. And he says he won’t manage decline but push for growth with new development Downtown and in the neighborhoods.
He says he wants Pittsburgh to believe in itself again.

“Our city has become a culture of we can’t, we won’t — a culture of no,” O’Connor said. “Now, it’s time to change Pittsburgh’s culture, both how we feel about ourselves and how the world sees us. It’s time to become a city of hope and optimism where your dreams can come true. A Pittsburgh where each and every time we can, we get to yes.”

O’Connor says he and his administration are set to hit the ground running, meaning you won’t be seeing him much at city hall.

“I don’t like sitting behind the desk. The mayor’s job shouldn’t be behind the desk eight hours a day. It needs to be out in the community, hearing from people about what they want to see in Pittsburgh,” O’Connor said.

O’Connor already has plans of his own to address the city’s financial crisis and turn Pittsburgh around. With a failing fleet, understaffing and runaway overtime coupled with Downtown building assessments in free fall, he believes you can’t continue to raise taxes and manage decline. Instead, he will push a decidedly pro-growth agenda, incentivizing the building of new housing and converting Downtown offices to residential.

“Making sure that we come out strong with our growth plan,” O’Connor said. “Can we have a Downtown fund that helps bridge these gaps so that some of these buildings happen a lot quicker? Can we streamline permitting? We hear about permitting from everyone.”

As mayor, he says he’ll unveil a plan to revitalize the neighborhoods by encouraging small businesses to take over empty storefronts. And, he has already reached out to the city’s major nonprofits to help with payments in lieu of taxes.

“Word is that you already have some sort of rough agreement with UPMC to buy ambulances?” KDKA-TV’s Andy Sheehan asked.

“I can’t say for certain that everything is done,” O’Connor said. “We’ve met with the nonprofits to have those detailed conversations. What can they do to benefit the city?”

Before COVID, Pittsburgh had become the darling of the national and international press as a city on the move that had transformed itself, rising from the ashes of the steel industry. O’Connor says he wants Pittsburgh to get its mojo back.

“As the mayor, you have to be the biggest cheerleader of this city and this region, calling companies all over the country and the world and say, ‘have you thought about Pittsburgh?’” O’Connor said.

And he says there will be no greater chance to jumpstart the city than to take advantage of the upcoming NFL draft.

“If we get more people seeing Pittsburgh, and there’s going to be 50 million eyes on us that week, now we get a chance to tell our story. And I think that helps us turn the tide and believing in Pittsburgh again and putting us on the national stage.”

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