Vacant Property Working Group (VPWG)
Vacant Property Working Group (VPWG), a program of the Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group (PCRG), is a collaboration of non-profit, community-based organizations, financial institutions and other stakeholders who have an interest in eliminating blight and revitalizing communities.
The objective is to identify economic development policies, programs and resources that are necessary for neighborhood based redevelopment. The program works collectively towards the eradication of vacant and nuisance properties within the neighborhoods of the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.
Services
The Vacant Property Working Group (VPWG) concentrates on two areas of programming: public policy development and real estate acquisition. Organizations participating in VPWG focus groups and monthly meetings are given the opportunity to provide comments to public officials and develop innovative solutions associated with property recycling.
The Vacant Property Working Group provides a variety of technical assistance opportunities for participating organizations. Assistance ranges from information transfer between group members to facilitating the acquisition of tax delinquent real estate through government tax sales. Through collective problem solving and the facilitation of property information, the Vacant Property Working Group helps communities create and implement effective neighborhood redevelopment strategies.
Service area
Because the policy issues associated with blighted communities often extends across boundaries, Vacant Property Working Group creates a policy development forum available to all communities in the city of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. This allows for a collaborative process and the sharing of ideas and information. While the policy group consists of a larger geographic agenda, property-recycling services are focused solely on community organizations inside the city of Pittsburgh.
Partners
Nearly 50 organizations work with VPWG on an ongoing basis, sharing information, assisting with project development or seeking input from community members. Our partners include community organizations, faith-based entities, government agencies, financial institutions, universities and other community stakeholders.
Documents to Download
- City of Pittsburgh’s Request to Include Tax Delinquent Properties in Treasurer’s Sale Proceeding
- City of Pittsburgh’s Request to Purchase Three Taxing Body Property
