Tenants of NB Affordable properties in the Hill District gathered at the Department of Housing and Urban Development in Downtown Pittsburgh Wednesday to voice concerns and demand change to their living conditions: infestations of raccoons and rats, no heat, missing floorboards, elevators that don’t work and more.
According to One Pennsylvania — the nonprofit that helped advocate for the residents — since Oct. 9, renters in Pittsburgh have been struggling with HUD and property managers at NB Properties to address living conditions they describe as hazardous and that they say have caused health problems and significantly decreased their quality of life.
NB Affordable, a housing company based in Somerset, N.J., owns 11,725 units across 15 states, including 1,300 affordable apartments in the Pittsburgh region spanning 15 properties. According to its website, the company aims to own and operate 25,000 units nationwide by 2025.
A meeting with HUD Pittsburgh field officer Michael Horvath had been scheduled, according to Maia Rosenberg, Pittsburgh spokeswoman for One PA, but Horvath was not at the Wednesday meeting and could not be reached for comment for this article.
“We just want renters to be treated with dignity. Everyone deserves safe and livable housing. We shouldn’t have to fight this hard,” Rosenberg said.
Crystal White, a resident of the Hill District, attended the meeting to represent her neighbors in the Watt Street Comp 2, an apartment building.
“There are leaks, pipes breaking, missing floorboards and windows and doors that don’t lock,” said Crystal White, who lives in the Watt Street Comp 2 apartment building. “Sewage backs up, appliances like refrigerators and stoves don’t work, and mice chew through wires and clothing, destroying belongings. Inspections and exterminations are not conducted.”
White said that she and other residents had filed multiple complaints, sending emails and visiting the office in person, but Wednesday was their second in-person visit to the HUD offices.
“We’re not being directed to the right resources at all. Things have gotten worse, and we’ve had to pay out of pocket to fix many issues,” she said.
White also said that her health has been impacted.
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“There’s a lot of mold and mildew in the house. I’ve fallen down the steps a few times, as has my daughter, because we don’t have a banister. We’ve had breathing problems due to the mold and it’s hard to store dry goods because of the mice,” she said.
White said she sometimes cooks at a relative’s house because she’s afraid of the mice in her home.
“I don’t feel safe eating at home,” she said.
White said there had been days without hot water and she had to buy her own water heater. She has also paid for extermination services herself.
“They have staged inspections — it is like they pick and choose which units they go into, and the units that they go in have minimal problems,” White said.
The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) acts as a liaison between HUD and NB Affordable. Although HUD conducts inspections, PHFA handles on-site visits to review business operations and ensure compliance with HUD guidelines. While PHFA doesn’t inspect property conditions, it does receive tenant complaints and addresses them with property management. The property management is then required to document how concerns are resolved.
Rosenberg said the group’s demands include holding NB Affordable accountable for worsening conditions in more than 1,300 affordable units.
“We requested meetings in October, and we were promised but never happened,” she said. “The issues with NB Affordable are part of a larger national trend of corporate landlords exploiting tenants. This is also primarily a Black community that has been regularly disadvantaged in Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania.”
Cathy Brown, a member of the Committee of One PA and One PA Renters United Allegheny, echoed these concerns. “HUD is not doing its part, and these properties are in terrible shape,” she said.
Brown lives in Bellefield Dwellings Apartments in the Hill District, a property geared toward seniors, where she serves as resident council president.
“My building is in better condition compared to others in the NB Affordable portfolio, but we still face issues like bedbugs and a lack of security, which pose safety concerns,” Brown said.
She said that management at her building has changed four times within the past year.
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Alexis Benhart, a management analyst at HUD, acknowledged the challenges, describing the situation as “convoluted” due to legal complications. She emphasized that HUD is working behind the scenes to assist residents and to not displace residents.
Attempts to reach NB Affordable for comment were unsuccessful.