Modular homes are first step toward affordable housing

The five new structures to be placed on Motheral Avenue in Monessen are still available to buy.

The five modular homes that will soon arrive at Motheral Avenue serve as a sign of hope for Monessen and the underserved population in the area.

By building these homes, Westmoreland Community Action is offering affordable housing to a city that desperately needs it.

“Monessen is like the rest of the county in a lot of ways, and there’s just not a lot of affordable housing,” WCA Vice President of Administration Dan Giovannelli said. “Most private development that’s taking place in our region is driven on the higher end of the market. … There’s not safe, decent places to either rent or buy that are at an affordable price point for folks that are below the median income.”

The process for purchasing one of the modular houses doesn’t differ from a normal home-buying experience. However, three of the homes are eligible for families that make between 50% and 60% of the area median income, while two of them are earmarked for families with an income between 60% and 80% of the area median income. The number of people in the household is taken into consideration as well.

“It’s a long way from anything you call Section 8. It’s not what it is, not at all,” Mayor Ron Mozer said. “It is a purchase program that offers affordable housing for those that are in the most need.” According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the median income for a family of four in the Pittsburgh metro area, of which the federal agency includes Westmoreland County, is $101,200. Therefore, a family of four with an income of $50,600 equates to 50% of the area median.

Three of those houses are also designated for underserved populations such as veterans, the elderly and people who have experienced domestic violence.

Each of the houses will include three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The modular homes, which will be assembled in a factory, are expected to arrive at Motheral Avenue by the end of October.

Giovannelli said WCA has talked to interested applicants, but none of the houses have been sold yet.

Over the summer, WCA applied to the Federal Home Loan Bank to build 10 more homes in Monessen. Giovannelli said the agency already has conditional sales agreements with the city and the Westmoreland County Redevelopment Authority for land parcels where the homes will be constructed if the funding is awarded. WCA will find out if it’s approved for the funding by the end of the year.

In addition to providing affordable housing options, WCA opened a welcome center in Monessen last month next door to city hall on Donner Avenue, where it offers food, hygiene products and clothing to those in need. The center also helps connect people to long-term services.

“So we’re not saying here’s a phone number, good luck. We’re sitting there with you, calling and making sure we get the right place for the right person,” Giovannelli said.

WCA intends to aid Monessen in its revitalization efforts as it attempts to alter the perception of being a monument to a once-prosperous manufacturing hub.

“Change is inevitable. It either happens to us or we participate in it,” Giovannelli said. “And Monessen is choosing to take agency over that change. … But what’s exciting is we see in some of these communities — New Kensington and Monessen are high on the list here in my mind — is a recognition that it’s never going to be 1970 or whatever mythical year again. That’s not the goal. The goal is a strong, vibrant future and it’s going to look different than the past, and that’s OK. But we’re going to take an active role in what it looks like.”