Unhoused residents moving to convention center following shelter fire

People who had been staying in the Second Avenue Commons shelter, in Uptown, board a Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus for transportation to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, accompanied by a service dog, on Tuesday, June 4, 2024. (Photo by Jess Daninhirsch/PublicSource) A blaze at Second Avenue Commons, which has been Allegheny County’s primary emergency housing facility for 18 months, has displaced around 180 people for an indefinite time. & “PublicSource is an independent nonprofit newsroom serving the Pittsburgh region.& Sign up for our free newsletters.” by Stephanie Strasburg& and& Eric Jankiewicz, PublicSource June 4, 2024 A fire at the Second Avenue Commons shelter has forced Allegheny County to move at least 180 people to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. The mid-afternoon fire at the Uptown shelter left one resident, who asked to be identified only as Reena, worrying about how she’ll contend with several chronic health conditions. “All of my medications and my medical equipment is up on the fourth floor, and I’m hoping it’s intact,” she said. “If it ain’t, I got a problem.” Reena, 64, a guest at the shelter floor of Second Avenue Commons, talks outside the center for people experiencing housing instability as crews...