No hot water for weeks at a time. Elevators that break, leaving elderly and disabled residents stranded. No heat in the community room. Tenants at the eight story, 97-unit Glen Hazel high-rise in Pittsburgh’s Glen Hazel neighborhood are fed up with problems in their building.

Why is it so difficult to build more affordable housing? There are many factors, including high construction costs, a complex system of financing that requires developers to assemble multiple funding sources for projects, a web of government rules, and the need to keep rents low for tenants.

Pittsburgh started a $1M medical debt relief program in 2023 to help residents burdened with unpaid medical bills. 2 years later, the program has yet to clear a dollar. The region’s largest health systems — UPMC and AHN — have declined to participate in the program. www.wesa.fm/health-scien...