The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) recently awarded a total of $73 million in PHARE (Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement) grants to housing initiatives across the state–including several transformative developments in Allegheny County.
Neighborhood Allies played a key role in seven of the funded projects, offering a combination of technical assistance, financial investment, and capacity building that helped community developers move their ideas and projects forward.
Active Engagement Across Seven Projects
We provided targeted technical assistance to four projects that went on to receive PHARE funding:
- Catherine Terrace, LLC. for the Catherine Terrace project
- Faith United Methodist Church for the Roots to Home – Affordable Housing Project
- The Beltzhoover Consensus Group for the Chalfont Street Development project
- The Black River Real Estate Development, LLC. for the Horace Mann Village project.
We also deployed $15,000 predevelopment grants to two community developers:
- Half the Battle, LLC. for the Cliffside Overlook project
- PA Home Matters for the South 7th Street Apartments
Finally, we made a direct equity investment of $800,000 in the Homewood Redevelopment Project led by the Pennsylvania Affordable Housing Corporation—a bold, community-centered vision for Homewood.
Building Capacity Through Education and Capital
Three of the developers we partnered with are also graduates of our Real Estate Co-Powerment Series, a course that breaks down the real estate development process, equips residents with practical tools, and helps them get active projects across the finish line.
Neighborhood Allies works hand-in-hand with developers at every stage, offering what they need—when they need it—to help move community-driven housing projects from concept to construction.
PROJECT SPOTLIGHTS
Tyian Battle – owner of Half the Battle, LLC. | $150,000 PHARE Grant Awardee for Cliffside Overlook
“I’m just a girl from the Hill District who remembers when homes and businesses were the heartbeat of our community. My dream is to be one of the people who helps rebuild the Hill District no matter what it takes.”
For Tyian Battle, real estate development is personal. Her project, Cliffside Overlook, will bring four new units of affordable housing to the very street where she grew up in the Hill District.
As the Founder and Executive Director of ACH Clear Pathways, Tyian led the revitalization of the historic Kaufman Center. That experience–raising funds, managing construction, and seeing a major project through to completion—sparked “a burning desire to become a developer.”
A few years later, Tyian purchased her first investment property, completed interior renovations as well as added a new roof, and began renting it out to traveling nurses. Soon after, she began work to purchase the parcels of land across the street, too. These will become Cliffside Overlook.
With a $15,000 pre-development grant from Neighborhood Allies, she was able to cover the costs of architectural design services and attorney fees. Tyian also graduated from our Real Estate Co-Powerment Series in 2024. She said her biggest takeaway from the course was to “stay consistent.” She learned to implement the information taught each week into her own project, piece by piece.
“Completing the series, applying for the predevelopment funding with Neighborhood Allies, and implementing the funding has gotten me where I am today,” Tyian said.
Once complete, Cliffside Overlook will bring 4 brand new units of affordable housing to the Hill District!
Sylvie Celeste Deaderick – President & CEO of PA Home Matters | $200,000 PHARE Grant Awardee for the South 7th Street Apartments
“The Real Estate Co-Powerment Series gave me the tools and confidence to submit our award-winning PHARE Grant application. I’d started the project out of pocket without support until Neighborhood Allies’ predevelopment grant. The cohort empowered me to apply and win PHFA’s very competitive grant for affordable housing.”
Sylvie has spent 20 years in real estate—working as a commercial realtor and project manager. But she’s always had a clear goal in mind: to bring high-quality, affordable housing back to communities that have been left behind.
Her project, the South 7th Street Apartments Project, is a total gut rehab of an abandoned 10-unit property in the City of Duquesne. Considering herself a blight-buster, Sylvie felt pulled to restore the building, which had been vacant for more than 15 years. She gives credit to the City of Duquesne for its cooperative political culture and vested interest in returning vacant properties both to the tax roll and the residents when speaking about her work.
In 2024, Neighborhood Allies awarded the project with a $15,000 predevelopment grant to cover the costs of structural evaluation, plumbing, and architectural drawings.
“The impact [of the predevelopment grant] has been TREMENDOUS,” Sylvie said. “My passion was met with a capital investment. Prior to my involvement with Neighborhood Allies, I was somewhat at a standstill. The confidence I gained from my relationship with Neighborhood Allies was just as beneficial as the predevelopment grant. I learned what is necessary to leverage additional funding and relationships.”
Renderings of the South 7th Street Apartments in Duquesne. Provided by Sylvie Celeste Deaderick.
Once completed, the 7th Street Apartments will offer 10 affordable two-bedroom units–and bring a long-forgotten building back into use for the Duquesne community.
