Continuing Problems with NB Affordable Properties.

Continuing Problems with NB Affordable Properties

A discussion on NB Affordable Properties took place in a Post Agenda meeting at the request of Khari Mosley.

Invited guests included Congresswoman Summer Lee, City Controller Rachel Heisler, representatives from housing advocacy organizations, and representatives from related city departments/offices.

Councilpersons Warwick, Lavelle, Gross, Strassburger, and Wilson also attended.

Complaints against NB Affordable Properties, a national property management company that owns properties in affordable local communities, began in 2023. Community residents in Homewood and West Mifflin, among others, have repeatedly brought to the company’s and HUD’s attention bedbug and rat infestations, lack of heat, missing floorboards, and other deplorable conditions, with little or no effect.

• Representative Lee said her office acts as a point of connection between residents and HUD and that she is committed to creating better conditions for residents.
• Councilperson Gross brought up Council’s ability to conduct inspections, noting that residents are hesitant about the practice for fear of eviction or losing their housing.
• David Green, director of the Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections, explained that administrative warrants—which allow entry into a residence without being invited—are primarily used out of wellness concerns regarding hoarding. Emergency powers are limited to “exceedingly hazardous conditions” that are imminently life-threatening.
• Controller Heisler fielded possible solutions, both proactive and responsive, for Council intervention on residents’ behalf. She cited policies and codes that might preclude some ideas.
• Advocates shared residents’ stories and the trauma they’re experiencing as a result of the company’s gross negligence.
• Additional discussion included collaborations between residents, tenant organizations, and city government, as well as the psychological hazards of displacement and breaking apart bonded communities.