Paula Kane: Protecting and improving affordable housing in Pittsburgh

Finding an affordable place to live can be complicated, intimidating and frustrating. It’s one of the biggest decisions someone can make, and it’s something that impacts everything else in their lives: where their kids go to school, where they work, where they enjoy holidays and events, where they rest and where they relax.

We get it, and that’s why we take our role in people’s livelihoods seriously, and it’s also why we at NB Affordable are committed to quality, affordable housing that people can be proud of. That work is happening right here in Pittsburgh.

To understand our work, you need to first understand where we’ve been and how our approach to housing differs from others. To start, our mission statement is simple and straightforward: “fight the plight of homelessness and foster an environment of prosperity for American families by providing housing that is both affordable and sustainable.” At NB, we understand our role in the broader ecosystem, and that ensuring people have housing is a great way to ensure a family’s success. Without a home you can afford, everything else becomes difficult and complicated.

That’s why we’re committed to not just preserving affordable housing but to making sure it’s a welcome home. We have more than 10,000 units under our management across 15 states in 84 individual communities. We are proud to employ more than 300 people and have more than 40 years of experience.

But our goal is not to have more housing, it’s to have better housing. When we acquire property, we don’t just throw up a new sign and call it a day, we invest in it. This means upgrading the properties with newer amenities to ensure that we are making them better than we found them. There is no point to housing if you’re just going to let it fall into disrepair.

Finally, we believe in giving back. That’s why we started the NB Affordable Foundation, which hosts an annual scholarship rewards program that empowers our staff and residents by giving them the means to achieve their goals of higher education and improve their quality of life in a profound way. It’s also why the foundation creates strategic partnerships with local community nonprofit organizations that enable us to provide housing, financial stability, and mental health support to the most vulnerable members of our community. It’s not enough for us to just be in a community, we want to be a part of it.

This brings us to our work in Pittsburgh.

Recently, we acquired a number of properties in a number of neighborhoods across the city. In total, these 1,305 units house thousands of people, and residents and advocates — rightly — wonder what this is going to mean for them and what it means to the future of affordable housing in Pittsburgh.

Here are the facts: We are dedicated to this community. We are going to invest in making these apartments better starting with the biggest complexes. We are going to keep the staff and even add more staff to not only create local jobs but also improve the lives of tenants. And we will work quickly and diligently to upgrade facilities, units and living conditions. And we will keep all of this housing affordable. This not only includes investing millions of dollars, but it also includes a real, hands-on approach, while also listening to tenants and getting feedback from them on what they want and need.

As we continue to lay down roots in this community, we will keep investing, growing and making sure people live quality lives in our properties. There is a lot of work ahead, but we are committed to doing it while ensuring that affordable housing is preserved for generations to come.

Paula Kane is senior vice president of property operations for real estate developer NB Affordable.