HEARTH at Benet Woods News

HEARTH at Benet Woods – Bridging the “Affordability Gap” Amongst Working Families with Modest Incomes

Working families earning modest incomes are under pressure from all sides financially with today’s stretch of the dollar – precisely why a new development, HEARTH at Benet Woods, is underway. The new Benet Woods community addresses the “affordability gap” between what working families can afford and the cost of housing.

HEARTH at Benet Woods is Northern Allegheny County’s first permanent, affordable rental housing community created for working individuals, seniors, and families who will pay an average monthly rent of $700 and must have incomes ranging from approximately $24,800 to $37,200, depending on family size.

Housing is considered to be affordable when it costs no more than 30 percent of a household’s annual income. Through more affordable rental rates, Benet Woods community members can expect to have extra monies (that would otherwise be spent on housing) to cover the rising costs of groceries, child care, health insurance, and other life essentials.

HEARTH at Benet Woods will consist of 11 two- and three-bedroom units, and a community room. Two of the units will be handicap accessible. The new property is an Energy Star® certified development meeting the green building criteria of the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. Among many environmentally friendly features, the units will have “green” carpet, water-saving devices and numerous Energy Star® benefits.

Benet Woods Housing Corporation is very grateful to have received a tremendous amount of support from funding sources, businesses and individuals who understand that the availability of more affordable, modest-income housing can help to strengthen the local workforce and economy, as well as those caught in Allegheny County’s expanding “housing affordability gap.”

HEARTH at Benet Woods will be a tax paying property with tax paying residents, and funding sources for HEARTH at Benet Woods include the Allegheny County Department of Economic Development, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, private foundations and individual donors.

Groundbreaking held for new housing project in Ross

Two-month-old Kayman Edwards was by far the youngest person at the groundbreaking for Hearth at Benet Woods. Read the full article

Ross duplex construction, healing begin

More than six months after a controversial housing plan landed Ross officials in court and angered a fearful neighborhood, the wounds are healing as work on Hearth at Benet Woods begins.   Read the full article

ASID PA West To Design Community Room

Benet Woods Housing Corporation is excited to announce that the American Society of Interior Designers PA West Chapter will be donating their time and expertise to design and furnish the multi-purpose community room for Benet Woods. “ASID did such a fantastic job helping HEARTH furnish and decorate the Benedictine Place apartments 13 years ago we immediately thought of them when it came time to make plans for Benet Woods,” says Judy Eakin, Executive Director.

The community room will play an important role in the HEARTH at Benet Woods housing development. It will include an office for a part-time staff person who will help link Benet Wood’s residents to the supportive services they may need. The staff person can also arrange for trainings of topics that are of particular interest to the Benet Woods residents: whether it be budgeting, healthy cooking, or parenting.

The community room will also be available for the Benet Woods residents to host parties and social gatherings for friends and family. A kitchenette will allow families to prepare their party fare and enjoy time together.

HEARTH thanks the ASID PA West Chapter for their willingness to share their skills to create a functional and family friendly community room for the families who will live at Benet Woods.