Health Department Awarded Nearly $1M to Support Climate Resilience in Allegheny County

Good news: Fifteen environmental justice communities in Allegheny County are eligible to receive a combined $930,000 to beautify the area and mitigate flood damage.

Students from the University of Pittsburgh's Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation are currently working with Braddock, Homestead, Wilkinsburg and Wilmerding to design projects. Residents will start to see the climate resilience transformations as early as this summer.

The 15 eligible communities were identified using the ACHD EJ index, which was developed using community feedback and existing data on eight social and environmental indicators. These communities will receive incentives and assistance to develop climate resilience plans.  

The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) was awarded the grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Environmental Justice Government-to-Government grant (EJG2G).

The funding will support initiatives aimed at increasing climate resilience in environmental justice communities and contribute to ACHD's Plan for a Healthier Allegheny goal of having 33 communities with a climate resilience plan by 2027. The health department's goal is to increase the number of communities that are prepared to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Landforce will implement the projects designed by Pitt students which could include rain gardens and other installations to help reduce flood risk and address the community's climate resilience needs.

Allegheny CleanWays will conduct cleanups aimed at reducing flood risk and water contamination such as eliminating illegal dumping sites, removing litter from storm drains or cleaning debris from waterways.

The Allegheny County Health Department will also collaborate with the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority, the Allegheny County Departments of Sustainability and Emergency Services and two local Councils of Governments (COGs): Steel Rivers COG and Turtle Creek Valley COG.

Get updates on the projects in the community by visiting Allegheny County EJG2G: Overview and Updates or sign up here for quarterly updates.