A proposal by the Allegheny County Department of Human Services to transform a vacant building along Bigelow Boulevard into a low-barrier overflow shelter has put Polish Hill residents at odds with each other.
For some residents, the ACDHS proposal follows a natural arc for Polish Hill: A tight-knit community with resources to share and access to Downtown has a vacant building up for sale. But some residents see drawbacks to a low-barrier overflow shelter along a busy road, even as they say they’d support a longer-term housing facility for people experiencing homelessness.
“I would feel strongly about any neighborhood they put it into that doesn’t have the resources or facilities that they need to support that shelter,” said resident Mike Duray…