Written by Michael Jehn, April 2, 2025
The Wilkinsburg Community Development Corporation’s Strong Neighborhoods initiative has been working since 2020 to connect neighbors and share resources aimed at community revitalization— combatting the impacts of blight, promoting property ownership and enhancement, supporting beautification and public placemaking. Throughout the borough, significant transformations are gaining welcome positive attention, and a tangible sense of hope is blossoming for many in our community.
Strong Neighborhoods is, first and foremost, a resident-led effort, with Wilkinsburg citizens setting the priorities and the WCDC providing technical assistance, funding, professional support, and educational opportunities. Strong Neighborhoods has built upon its networks and partnerships—including with Borough government, Code Enforcement, and the Wilkinsburg School Board—to deliver resources and guide residents’ goals to realization. As noted in a recent Strong Neighborhoods overview, “community planning is not just about physical infrastructure; it’s about cultivating a shared vision, fostering collaboration, and empowering individuals to shape the future of their community.”
The Strong Neighborhoods initiative commenced in the fall of 2020 with the launch of the WCDC’s first Strong Neighborhoods Committee, directly engaging community members in conversations about vacancy and blight issues unique to each of the borough’s 19 distinct neighborhoods. From fall 2020 through fall 2021, a comprehensive parcel-by-parcel inventory was compiled of Wilkinsburg’s existing structures using data collection software. In the winter of 2021-2022, the HARP—Housing Acquisition, Repair, and Preservation—program was launched to empower Wilkinsburg residents to remain in their homes and maintain affordability. Workshops have continued from 2022 to the present day, and the HARP program was extended with an additional $750,000 raised between 2023 and 2024.
A central theme that emerged from community conversations was a strong and abiding commitment to support Wilkinsburg residents in persevering despite the challenges posed by, and associated with, blight and vacancy—from the cost of rehabilitating properties and resident displacement caused by rising development costs to code enforcement accountability and the threat of unsafe abandoned structures to adjacent occupied properties. Uniting many residents was an unwavering sense of pride and optimism that continues to inspire those who are fighting for the future of the borough. Driven by the motivation and passion of Wilkinsburg’s citizens, Strong Neighborhoods has helped to mobilize three core Wilkinsburg focus areas where community conversation would formulate ideas and where resources would be allocated to help launch projects: Park Triangle, Singer Place, and Hamnett Place. Residents of each neighborhood have developed plans tailored to fit their own unique needs and challenges.
The Hamnett Place group, for example, has focused energy on improving spaces running along the Martin Luther King, Jr. East Busway to coincide with Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s (PRT’s) infrastructure improvements; recruited Rising Tide Partners to help address issues of conservatorship, site control, and structural stabilization; and has worked to prevent an increase in third party property ownership that could contribute to decreased affordability for residents.
In Singer Place, the stabilization of vacant properties to promote ownership and increased occupancy emerged as a top priority. Natural green spaces—including eight active pollinator garden projects—were recognized as fundamental community assets. Major rehabilitation work has taken place at the historic Singer Mansion and Singer House, and Rising Tide Partners has assisted with other property renovations. Throughout, Singer Place has emphasized innovative technologies and an ethos of collective living. Notes Brian Sieffert, who is deeply personally invested in a number of exciting projects in Wilkinsburg, “These once-abandoned properties, left to decay, faced the threat of costly repairs or demolition. Yet, through spirit and dedication, the committee has begun to restore them, understanding that each winter without action brings the risk of irreparable harm. They decided to act before time slips away.”
The Park Triangle neighborhood has focused on highly visible improvements along the Swissvale Avenue corridor including raised bed planters, a community garden, traffic calming strategies, and beautification of adjacent properties. Dave Cattell, speaking on behalf of the Park Triangle Neighborhood pre-development committee, says of the work done in that area, “The WCDC Park Triangle Neighborhood project has been wonderfully successful in bringing together and organizing neighbors in our Wilkinsburg community, working together to make our small part of the planet a better place. Enhancing the beauty along East Swissvale Avenue including through nurturing native, pollinator plants makes us leaders here in a dynamic and growing national movement.”
The collaboration fostered by Strong Neighborhoods through community conversations, stakeholder meetings, one-on-one consultations, educational sessions, and data collection has been impressive! As of fall 2024, Strong Neighborhoods has engaged 68 committee participants and 160 residents in 23 community conversations. 14 data collectors volunteered their valuable time and extraordinary attention to detail in constructing the property assessment database. 97 technical assistance requests have been received and more than 60 educational resources have been shared with neighbors. Since 2021, 557 total residents have directly engaged with Strong Neighborhoods; $1.5 million has been raised to support community projects; and 38 substantial home repair projects have been completed.
Service offerings provided to community residents have included Vacant Property Recovery Program (VPRP) acquisition funding; external property repairs and updates; free legal advice regarding property questions; no-cost will and estate planning guidance; resident networking opportunities; and tangled title support for properties whose ownership statuses are disputed or uncertain. In addition to these services, general technical assistance provided to community members has included property research, real estate data and mapping, and VPRP application support. Strong Neighborhoods also coordinated a series of education sessions in which WCDC community partners and staff led discussions on relevant topics suggested by residents. These sessions included conversations on first-time homeownership, lead safety, structural deconstruction, community land trusts, and the Sheriff’s Sale process.
Stay tuned as the WCDC’s Strong Neighborhoods, its partners, and the incredible community continue to work together, setting a high bar for an inclusive, affordable, sustainable, thriving Wilkinsburg!
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The Strong Neighborhoods program warmly invites residents to attend the third annual Wilkinsburg Community Resource Fair on Saturday, May 17th from 12:30-2:30pm at the recently restored historic Wilkinsburg Trail Station. This event will serve as a hub for residents to network and access useful community information. Numerous organizations, businesses, and other community partners will be present to answer questions, provide a variety of resources, and explain how residents can become more involved and connected in their community. There will also be a raffle. Please join us!