First Meeting of Allegheny County Board of Health’s ‘Healthy Housing’ Committee: Paving the Way for Safer Living Environments

The Allegheny County Board of Health has launched a new Housing and Community Environment Advisory Committee. This group, requested by housing advocates, held its first meeting on Thursday.

Allegheny County Council approved the committee’s formation in September after a strong push from activists. They see this as a step toward improving how the Health Department manages rental properties. However, some landlord groups are not on board.

The committee aims to provide insights about healthy housing, similar to other committees that oversee air quality and food safety. During the first meeting, members elected County Councilor Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis as chair and Devon Goetz, director of housing for the nonprofit Auberle, as vice-chair. Naccarati-Chapkis also leads the nonprofit Women for a Healthy Environment.

The 13-member board includes:

• Bob Damewood, senior attorney at Regional Housing Legal Services;
• Charlise Smith, founder of Willissae’s Agency for Vision and Empowerment (WAVE);
• David Onufer, president of the Realtors Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh;
• Dwight Boddorf, borough manager of Tarentum;
• Gale Schwartz, director of programs at Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania;
• Jala Rucker, co-chair of the Pittsburgh Housing Justice Table;
• John Katz, chairman of Brandywine Communities;
• Megan Hammond, executive director of Fair Housing Partnership;
• Dr. Noble Maseru, director of Social Justice at the University of Pittsburgh;
• Sofia Bermeo, operations director at Latina Community Center;
• Sonya Tilghman, executive director of Hazelwood Initiative.

This group will meet every other month, starting in April, to discuss and promote healthy housing solutions in the community.

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