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HACP to close offices to general public, scale back to essential services in response to COVID-19

March 19, 2020

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) has been strictly adhering to guidance provided by the Center for Disease Control and Allegheny County Health Department in order to best prevent the spread of COVID-19. We will continue to monitor local and national developments and modify our work plans accordingly in order to continue to provide the services for which our residents and the public depend upon. In the interest of public safety, as of Thursday, March 19, 2020, 8:00 p.m., HACP will be closing its offices to the general public and scaling back operations to essential services conducted by emergency personnel.

This closure includes our central offices at 200 and 100 Ross Street, including the following departments: Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8), Occupancy, Human Resources as well as HACP’s site management offices and postponement of most social services provided by HACP or partner organizations. In doing this, we are following the lead of the State of Pennsylvania and the City of Pittsburgh in order to minimize risk to staff and residents and do our part to slow the spread of the coronavirus. HACP is also restricting access to common areas such as computer labs and community rooms and has put a halt to any standing tenant meetings, such as Monthly Resident Community meetings and our Resident Advisory Board and Tenant Council Forum meetings.

HACP will suspend all in-person interactions (with very few exceptions), including external meetings and avoiding internal meetings, whenever possible, effective Thursday, March 19, 2020, at 8:00 p.m. During this period of closure, HACP will continue to provide remote services by telephone and email. To the greatest extent possible, HACP will work to maintain safe and sanitary conditions throughout the communities that we own and manage. HACP has been actively sharing information provided by our public health partners to be used as guidance for staff and we have been posting regular health updates for residents in their communities.

We will be holding our March 26, 2020, Board of Commissioners remotely. The agenda and directions on how to access the meeting will be posted on our website on Monday, March 23, 2020, in an effort to ensure public access to the meeting.

From the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, HACP has closely followed public health guidance to determine how business-as-usual should be conducted during these difficult circumstances, even as we work to provide the services for which people depend on us. To date, we have instructed our staff to:

  • Close offices to the public until further notice.
  • Avoid external meetings and conduct internal meetings on an emergency basis only, while encouraging telecommunications.
  • Take responsibility for sanitizing work spaces and maintaining social distance in the workplace.
  • Stay home and see a doctor if they are ill.

We are reassessing policies daily. In doing so, we rely heavily on guidance from public health officials with regard to what are considered prudent measures based upon COVID-19 prevalence in the state.

“We will be taking every precaution necessary to help ensure the safety of our residents and staff and to do our part to help contain the spread of COVID-19,” said HACP Executive Director Caster D. Binion. “Essential and Emergency Authority operations will continue and most services will remain available via remote channels; however, public safety is our top priority.”

HACP encourages residents, applicants and interested parties to watch for updates on Authority operations, which will be provided on our website (www.hacp.org) and social media channels (Twitter: @HACP1 & Facebook: HACPgh). Additionally, pertinent contact information for HACP can be found on the homepage of our website.

For additional information, please contact Michelle Sandidge, Chief Community Affairs Officer, at 412-456-5058 or michelle.sandidge@hacp.org.

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