Faith-based nonprofit wants to use Brackenridge building to house homeless families

The Allegheny Valley Association of Churches in Harrison wants to convert a former personal care home in Brackenridge into a temporary refuge for homeless families.

The Association of Church has an agreement to buy the former Applewood Personal Care Home in the 900 block of Morgan Street, said association Director Karen Snair.

The association wants to use the facility to house families with children, Snair said.

However, the sale is contingent on the association receiving a zoning of a variance from the borough for such a use.

Applewood closed in 2020 after 26 years of operation. The building is currently zoned for commercial use, perhaps because a store was housed there before Applewood converted it into a personal care home.

Although a smattering of businesses remain, the neighborhood is overwhelmingly residential.

Snair said the homeless families that would be served could include ones temporarily displaced by fire or flood, or those suffering from financial difficulties or lost jobs because of the pandemic.

Brackenridge Borough Secretary Denise Tocco said the zoning board will make a recommendation on the variance request to council, which will have the final say. It was unclear how quickly a decision will be made.

An application filed by association attorney Alice Mitinger said no more than 30 people would live in the facility at one time.

She claimed the proposed use of the property is similar to how it was used by Applewood, and it would not change the character of the neighborhood.

There would be 24-hour supervision and families would live in the 13 existing bedrooms. They would share dining and living spaces.

During the day, parents would typically go to work or be actively looking for work or housing, or they would be participating in on-site services, the application said. Children would be in school during the academic year.

Every tenant would commit to no illegal activities or drug use, the application said.

The Allegheny Valley Association of Churches, founded in 1958, has been providing temporary housing and support programs for families for nearly 30 years, mostly within its member churches.