KEEP PITTSBURGH HOME: Mayor Ed Gainey Defends Renters and Civil Rights as Pittsburgh Fights Back Against Housing Discrimination and Federal Retreat
Gainey Draws the Line: City Uses its Powers to Protect Pittsburghers from Housing Discrimination
Pittsburgh, PA –Today, Mayor Ed Gainey announced a powerful local response to the recent rollback of civil rights protections, calling it one of the most dangerous challenges to fairness in a generation. As the Trump administration dismantles fair housing protections and slashes funding for oversight, Pittsburgh is stepping up to defend its residents —and make one thing clear: public dollars will not support discrimination.
Joined by housing advocates, community leaders, and Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle on the 5th floor of the City-County Building, Mayor Gainey, along with representatives from the Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations, unveiled and signed Executive Orders reaffirming the city’s unwavering commitment to fair housing, racial justice, and the right for all residents to live without fear of displacement or exclusion.
“While we’re working here in Pittsburgh to make housing a human right, Washington is giving developers and landlords the green light to deny you housing because of how much you earn, where you’re from, what you look like, the faith you practice, or who you love.” said Mayor Ed Gainey. “But here in Pittsburgh, when civil rights are under attack, we stand up and fight back. When Washington uses its power to destroy and abandon, Pittsburgh chooses to build and protect. ”
What Pittsburgh Is Doing
Through these Executive Orders, the City of Pittsburgh will use its local authority to:
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Enforce fair housing rules where a Trump-led HUD has walked away—making civil rights a requirement, not a suggestion
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Require that any developer receiving local public financing formally certify that they will follow Pittsburgh’s fair housing laws and comply with oversight from the Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations
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Prohibit landlords and developers who receive public funds from rejecting tenants based on their source of income—including Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8), Social Security, disability benefits, or other forms of public assistance
These actions, part of the Keep Pittsburgh Home campaign and the first of their kind for any municipality in the country, come in response to the termination of the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule. These rollbacks would devastate working families, renters, seniors, disabled residents, and Black and brown communities in Pittsburgh and across the country.
"Let’s be clear, while Trump and the MAGA machine are using executive orders to “move fast and break” the federal government, and producing enormous amounts of human suffering in the process, I am using Executive Orders to fight for Pittsburghers, strengthen our local safety nets, and protect our civil rights.” said Mayor Ed Gainey.
A Local Shield Against a National Storm
Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle, Vice Chair of the URA Board and longtime fair housing advocate, spoke about the significance of the action:
“This isn’t about politics—it’s about people. We passed legislation to protect voucher holders, and the courts struck it down. Today’s announcement makes sure those protections are back—at least where we still have control: local investments.”
Speakers highlighted that Pittsburgh’s most vulnerable communities—particularly Black families, queer and trans renters, immigrants, seniors, and working-class residents—will bear the brunt of the Trump administration’s unchecked policies.
“As long as I am your Mayor, the City of Pittsburgh will fight discrimination and displacement. We will not allow public money to fund projects that push our people out of their neighborhoods. ” said Mayor Gainey. “And we will certainly not let the Trump Administration undo the progress we have made to build fair housing, and to Keep Pittsburgh Home.”
What’s at Stake If We Don’t Act
As the federal government retreats from civil rights enforcement, Pittsburgh is stepping in—because the stakes couldn’t be higher for voucher holders, trans and gender-expansive residents, Black families, immigrants, seniors, disabled renters, and other low-income tenants who are at greatest risk of housing discrimination.
Discrimination against LGBTQIA+ communities is intensifying, with the Trump administration’s rollback of HUD’s Equal Access Rule allowing federally funded shelters to legally turn away trans people.
“This is nothing short of terrifying,” said local housing advocate Kaiah Scott, QMNITY Center Program Coordinator . “The community is looking to our city leadership for protection.”
The Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations reminded the public that strong local laws already prohibit discrimination based on race, gender identity, immigration status, disability, and more—but many residents don’t know they’re protected.
"The Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations (PghCHR) is a civil rights investigative body that enforces Pittsburgh's civil rights laws, provides free training and policy review, and engages the community to ensure that people know their rights and responsibilities under the law. If you believe you have been discriminated against in Pittsburgh, please contact the PghCHR," said Rachel Shepherd, Executive Director for the Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations.
By linking public funding to fair housing compliance, Pittsburgh is sending a strong, unmistakable message: City dollars will never be used to fund discrimination. This initiative upholds the dignity and safety of all residents—whether they are seniors on fixed incomes, transgender renters in search of a safe home, or families depending on housing vouchers. At its core, this is about ensuring the fundamental right to live with security and respect. These Executive Orders put Pittsburgh’s values into action, making them not just principles, but legally enforceable protections.
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About Keep Pittsburgh Home
Keep Pittsburgh Home is a citywide initiative that builds on Mayor Gainey’s strong record of housing progress over the past four years while launching a bold new vision to protect renters, support homeowners, and strengthen public housing. By expanding successful initiatives, strengthening tools like the Pittsburgh Land Bank, advancing tenant protections, introducing new legislation and proposing innovative strategies, the administration and allies are ensuring that residents can stay in the neighborhoods they’ve built while creating new pathways for affordability, stability, and community-driven development.
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