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In celebration of Fair Housing Month, the City of McKeesport hosted its second annual Fair Housing Workshop on April 26 at the Palisades. This year’s event welcomed representatives of the Fair Housing Law Center to define the Fair Housing Act, describe who it protects, and share guidelines on how landlords can successfully abide by the law.

The McKeesport Community Development Department and the Fair Housing Law Center distributed informational pamphlets and quick-reference guides on individuals’ rights to fair housing, additional resources for those with disabilities, and tips to recognize discrimination.

“In the City of McKeesport, where more than 50 percent of our housing stock is made up of rental properties, it’s is important that our tenants understand their rights and that our landlords understand their responsibilities,” said A.J. Tedesco, McKeesport’s community development director.

“We want to be sure that everyone in McKeesport is linked to the appropriate resources associated with fair housing concerns,” he said.

Attorney Brian Kallus and paralegal Ron Lanning offered a casual presentation for community residents, real estate agents, McKeesport Housing Authority staff, private landlords, and property managers.

 Kallus presented attendees with various scenarios and allowed them to discern whether the situations presented an issue with discrimination. He went on to describe fair housing law.

The Fair Housing Act of 1968, which covers renting, selling, lending and all areas connected with residential housing, protects individuals from discrimination in the following protected classes:

Mayor Michael Cherepko addressed workshop attendees regarding the City’s decision to implement a new regulated rental ordinance, which is intended to regulate the safety of rental properties.

“This is just one more step toward guaranteeing the people of McKeesport are not forced to live in deplorable conditions,” Cherepko said. “The bottom line is that we want to save these residents from unnecessary hardship, and in some cases, to save them from a potential tragedy.”

The City of McKeesport has accepted the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s mission to affirmatively further fair housing by providing educational information and outreach regarding fair housing on a regular basis. April’s event highlighted the City’s commitment to fair housing.

More information about Fair Housing in the City of McKeesport is available online at www.mckeesport-pa.gov. Contact the Fair Housing Law Center at 877-725-4472 or www.fhlaw.org.

Editor’s Note: Article and photos submitted by Jennifer Vertullo, assistant to Mayor Mike Cherepko.

(Above: Mary Rose Bendel, director of adult education and outreach at Carnegie Library of McKeesport, hands out gloves and trash bags to young volunteers on Saturday morning. Tube City Almanac photo.)

LISTEN: Residents talk about Earth Day cleanups (Duration: 9:29)

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More than 150 people turned out Saturday morning at Earth Day-themed cleanup events throughout the city of McKeesport, while in neighboring communities such as Port Vue and Glassport, residents woke up early to get organized.

Tom Callahan of Port Vue was helping to man one of several large trash bins set up behind the Romine Avenue ballfields. “I do this every year,” he said, adding that he was planning to be back at his post on Sunday morning as well. “It’s a lot of garbage so far,” Callahan said.

In the city, leaders of cleanup groups met at the Palisades on Water Street for breakfast and to plot strategy before meeting up with 15 groups of volunteers ranging from six people to more than 20 people throughout McKeesport.

One woman volunteered to clean the intersection of Walnut Street and Eden Park Boulevard by herself.

Mayor Mike Cherepko said the turnout was heartening.

“I would be lying if I said I was surprised, because here in the city of McKeesport, that’s one thing that we’re always blessed with is volunteers,” he said. “No matter what it is — no matter what the occasion — this is just another example of people pulling together for the betterment of the city.”

(Above: Port Vue residents toss collected debris into large trash bins set up behind the Romine Avenue ballfields. Tube City Almanac photo.)

Council Members Keith Soles and Jamie Brewster-Filotei were among those designated to help lead the groups of volunteers.

For his part, Soles was planning to start the morning in the area of Washington and Jefferson streets, near Founders’ Hall Middle School, and then head back out in the afternoon along Eden Park with other members of the McKeesport Lions’ Club. The Lions have done the cleanup twice per year for three years.

“Tires, iced-tea cartons — we find everything,” Soles said. The first time they cleaned Eden Park near Renziehausen Park, he said, they hauled away 30 bags of trash. Now, with twice a year cleanups, their load is lightened, but they still regularly take away 10 full bags of junk.

“It’s amazing to me that when we’ve cleaned up and we’re heading back, we find garbage on the ground again,” Soles said. “We’ve just picked it up, and I find garbage on the side of the road.”

City officials also used Earth Day to remind residents that new recycling bins will soon be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Cherepko and others have said McKeesport lags other communities in the rate of households that recycle, and are hoping the bins make it easier for residents to do so.

The bins will be equipped with wheels and are being paid for with grant money, Cherepko said. The city recycles glass, metal containers, paper, cardboard and plastic.

The new bins will be “larger than the smaller ones we’ve had in the past, and we’re going probably going to have two different sizes,” Cherepko said. “We are going to really push the recycling program in the city of McKeesport.”

Every pound of recycling collected is a pound that isn’t hauled to a landfill at city expense, he said. “Not only can we recycle and do what’s best for the Earth, just as importantly, when you’re a city that’s financially distressed … we also get an opportunity to save money,” Cherepko said.

When the bins are available, officials said, the availability will be announced on the city’s website, Facebook and other media channels.