URA confirms layoffs facing a ‘lack of sustainable funding’

PITTSBURGH — The rescue is coming to its end for the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh.

The URA confirmed that it laid off seven employees yesterday as it works to adjust its budget expectations as the authority prepares for no longer having access to federal funding allocated through the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act, which used Covid-19 as a premise to backstop cities throughout the country with funding support as an aid to overcome the economic challenges caused by the pandemic.

A spokeswoman for the URA confirmed, “we’ve had to eliminate business lines, contract out with partners, align our work with core services, and prepare for a post-ARPA environment.”

The seven employees were not identified but were said to work in functions budgeted directly by the city, “whose work related to these reduced and eliminated business lines.”

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