Homelessness has been declared a public health emergency in Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh City Council approved legislation Tuesday asking the mayor, city housing authority and several city departments to come up with proposals to address homelessness in the long term, as well as temporary, immediate solutions to help homeless people right away.

Council asked for the proposals to be submitted within two weeks.

There were 880 people experiencing homelessness in Allegheny County last winter, up from 692 the winter before, according to data from the Department of Human Services. The agency did not provide city-specific data.

“I was trying to find an immediate solution for the unhoused community, trying to find a place and some resources so we can take care of those among us who are struggling the most,” Council President Theresa Kail-Smith said.

Sponsored by Kail-Smith and Councilwoman Deb Gross, the legislation was introduced in August and held in committee several times.

Kail-Smith she was comfortable holding the legislation because a task force of council members had been formed and was working to address the issues even before the legislation was approved. That task force, she said, is expected to have a report with ideas to address homelessness throughout the city in the coming weeks. The report will be made public.

Council has declared other public health emergencies in the past, Kail-Smith said, including one related to violence and racism.

“When it comes to housing, when it comes to violence, we need to have some immediate interventions and action steps and then long-term solutions,” Kail-Smith said.

The legislation passed Tuesday also directs the departments of Innovation & Performance and Finance to identify parcels of city-owned land that could be used for developments of tiny homes or affordable housing or for heating, cooling or temporary shelters.

The goal is to find temporary solutions to address homelessness in the near-term while leaders seek more permanent fixes, Gross said.

A new year-round homeless shelter called Second Avenue Commons opened in Downtown Pittsburgh in November, but filled to capacity within a week.

Pittsburgh officials have shut down two homeless encampments — one on the North Side and one under the 10th Street Bypass — since the legislation was first introduced.

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