(File Photo of a For Sale Sign)

Reported by Danielle Smith, Keystone News Service

(Pittsburgh, PA) Solving a shortage of affordable housing in Pittsburgh will require better coordination among municipalities across Allegheny County, according to a local nonprofit. The county doesn’t control zoning; instead, more than 130 local municipalities set their own rules, which makes it difficult to guide housing development. Ebony Flowers with New Voices for Reproductive Justice says demand continues to outpace available housing, and the county is moving toward a more coordinated housing approach under its “Housing for All” program. She adds that the strategy aims to bring alignment and coordination across all those municipalities. According to new data from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, Pennsylvania has just 39 affordable and available rental units for every 100 extremely low-income households. To meet the need, the report claims the state must add 263-thousand affordable homes and expand rental assistance.