Image of Debra Green, PPT Coordinating Committee Member, leading a rally last fall to launch PPT's emergency fare relief report, "No Greater Need. No Greater Opportunity"

The City of Pittsburgh's plan to spend $350M of American Rescue Plan Act public money has received ZERO public input.

Residents have real needs that this money can address - affordable housing, affordable transit, food access, and more.

There are only two public hearings scheduled for people to give comments on the plan.

Saturday, 7/10 @ 10am

Monday, 7/12 @ 6pm

You need to RSVP NOW to give public comment and demand City Council:

Stop the vote;
Open a true public process;
Invest directly in people's emergency needs!

RSVP to give public comment here (scroll all the way to the bottom of the city's page)

This is a transformational, once-in-a-generation opportunity for our City to spend public money on real public needs. We deserve a public process and for our visionary ideas to be heard.

Here are some of the potential emergency needs that advocates are uplifting. Help us uplift them and add your own:

Emergency fare relief for low-income riders. We know that around 75% of Port Authority's trips begin and end in the City of Pittsburgh and that 43% of Port Authority's riders have household incomes of <$35K. There is no reason that the City of Pittsburgh cannot use these $8M of these emergency relief dollars to underwrite a low-income fare pilot that will benefit our entire City, County and Region. See PPT's report with talking points.

Food justice and food access. This morning the Food Policy Council unrolled a plan to spend $10M of the ARPA funds to bolster the infrastructure that will connect residents to healthy food. Read about PFPC's plan and help us advocate to make it real. See their talking points, too.

At least $36M for tenants in Pittsburgh. The pandemic made the affordable housing gap in our city even wider, especially for tenants. But all of the housing dollars in Mayor Peduto's plan would go entirely to homeowners. Join Pittsburgh United and our community in demanding that at least $36M of Pittsburgh's ARPA money goes to help tenants in our city.

Last but not least, directly contact your councilperson to uplift these demands!

Find your city council member's contact information here and help us uplift these demands. Ask them to;

Stop the vote;
Open a true public process;
Invest directly in people's emergency needs!

Find your councilperson's contact info here