Making property part of the entire community.
Rising Tide Partners' website sums up their mission in four words: "Restoring Communities. Preventing displacement." But to understand the organization's nearly evangelical determination behind this goal, one must speak to Kendall Pelling, Rising Tide Partners executive director."Getting to right the injustice of real estate is one of the physical tools that enable the community to come together," said Pelling. "When that healthy community forms, you have less crime, healthier neighborhoods. You have kids that do better in school. You have all these better things that happen, and you have the joy of living in a healthy community."Pelling, who studied public policy and management at the University of Southern California, started the organization in 2020. He and Rising Tide Partner's 12 staffers focus on transforming vacant lots, abandoned buildings and slumlord housing into affordable locations for local residents and businesses. Much of the work they do is on the Northside. To help accomplish this, One Northside provides approximately ten-percent of Rising Tide Partners' annual operating budget. But Pelling is quick to clarify that his goal is to quickly rehabilitate and return spaces and structures to the community."The point is, if we're going to control all of this property, we can't just sit on it like a chicken," he said.
A Northside family in need.
During the summer of 2023, two of Rising Tide Partners community advocates, The Perry Hilltop and Fineview CItizen's Councils, alerted Pelling to an alarming situation: the family of a special needs child was living in squalid conditions. Even worse, their landlord had cut off their electricity and water.
"Part of the way the Rising Tide-One Northside approach is different than the typical approach is that instead of just saying, 'Well, sorry buddy, you better find a new place to live,' we did something about it," Pelling explained.
A Northside family in need.
During the summer of 2023, two of Rising Tide Partners community advocates, The Perry Hilltop and Fineview CItizen's Councils, alerted Pelling to an alarming situation: the family of a special needs child was living in squalid conditions. Even worse, their landlord had cut off their electricity and water.
"Part of the way the Rising Tide-One Northside approach is different than the typical approach is that instead of just saying, 'Well, sorry buddy, you better find a new place to live,' we did something about it," Pelling explained.
A Northside family in need.
During the summer of 2023, two of Rising Tide Partners community advocates, The Perry Hilltop and Fineview CItizen's Councils, alerted Pelling to an alarming situation: the family of a special needs child was living in squalid conditions. Even worse, their landlord had cut off their electricity and water.
"Part of the way the Rising Tide-One Northside approach is different than the typical approach is that instead of just saying, 'Well, sorry buddy, you better find a new place to live,' we did something about it," Pelling explained.
A Northside family in need.
During the summer of 2023, two of Rising Tide Partners community advocates, The Perry Hilltop and Fineview CItizen's Councils, alerted Pelling to an alarming situation: the family of a special needs child was living in squalid conditions. Even worse, their landlord had cut off their electricity and water.
"Part of the way the Rising Tide-One Northside approach is different than the typical approach is that instead of just saying, 'Well, sorry buddy, you better find a new place to live,' we did something about it," Pelling explained.
A Northside family in need.
During the summer of 2023, two of Rising Tide Partners community advocates, The Perry Hilltop and Fineview CItizen's Councils, alerted Pelling to an alarming situation: the family of a special needs child was living in squalid conditions. Even worse, their landlord had cut off their electricity and water.
"Part of the way the Rising Tide-One Northside approach is different than the typical approach is that instead of just saying, 'Well, sorry buddy, you better find a new place to live,' we did something about it," Pelling explained.
A Northside family in need.
During the summer of 2023, two of Rising Tide Partners community advocates, The Perry Hilltop and Fineview CItizen's Councils, alerted Pelling to an alarming situation: the family of a special needs child was living in squalid conditions. Even worse, their landlord had cut off their electricity and water.
"Part of the way the Rising Tide-One Northside approach is different than the typical approach is that instead of just saying, 'Well, sorry buddy, you better find a new place to live,' we did something about it," Pelling explained.
A Northside family in need.
During the summer of 2023, two of Rising Tide Partners community advocates, The Perry Hilltop and Fineview CItizen's Councils, alerted Pelling to an alarming situation: the family of a special needs child was living in squalid conditions. Even worse, their landlord had cut off their electricity and water.
"Part of the way the Rising Tide-One Northside approach is different than the typical approach is that instead of just saying, 'Well, sorry buddy, you better find a new place to live,' we did something about it," Pelling explained.
A Northside family in need.
During the summer of 2023, two of Rising Tide Partners community advocates, The Perry Hilltop and Fineview CItizen's Councils, alerted Pelling to an alarming situation: the family of a special needs child was living in squalid conditions. Even worse, their landlord had cut off their electricity and water.
"Part of the way the Rising Tide-One Northside approach is different than the typical approach is that instead of just saying, 'Well, sorry buddy, you better find a new place to live,' we did something about it," Pelling explained.
"Something" was an existing house a few blocks away that the organization had purchased and renovated months earlier. Rising Tide Partners rented the home to the family at a greatly reduced rate, immediately removing them from their unsafe living conditions. Ironically, Pelling said the organization has since purchased the building the family fled, with a goal of rehabbing it for affordable residential and commercial use.
"Something" was an existing house a few blocks away that the organization had purchased and renovated months earlier. Rising Tide Partners rented the home to the family at a greatly reduced rate, immediately removing them from their unsafe living conditions. Ironically, Pelling said the organization has since purchased the building the family fled, with a goal of rehabbing it for affordable residential and commercial use.
"Something" was an existing house a few blocks away that the organization had purchased and renovated months earlier. Rising Tide Partners rented the home to the family at a greatly reduced rate, immediately removing them from their unsafe living conditions. Ironically, Pelling said the organization has since purchased the building the family fled, with a goal of rehabbing it for affordable residential and commercial use.
"Something" was an existing house a few blocks away that the organization had purchased and renovated months earlier. Rising Tide Partners rented the home to the family at a greatly reduced rate, immediately removing them from their unsafe living conditions. Ironically, Pelling said the organization has since purchased the building the family fled, with a goal of rehabbing it for affordable residential and commercial use.
"Something" was an existing house a few blocks away that the organization had purchased and renovated months earlier. Rising Tide Partners rented the home to the family at a greatly reduced rate, immediately removing them from their unsafe living conditions. Ironically, Pelling said the organization has since purchased the building the family fled, with a goal of rehabbing it for affordable residential and commercial use.
"Something" was an existing house a few blocks away that the organization had purchased and renovated months earlier. Rising Tide Partners rented the home to the family at a greatly reduced rate, immediately removing them from their unsafe living conditions. Ironically, Pelling said the organization has since purchased the building the family fled, with a goal of rehabbing it for affordable residential and commercial use.
"Something" was an existing house a few blocks away that the organization had purchased and renovated months earlier. Rising Tide Partners rented the home to the family at a greatly reduced rate, immediately removing them from their unsafe living conditions. Ironically, Pelling said the organization has since purchased the building the family fled, with a goal of rehabbing it for affordable residential and commercial use.
"Something" was an existing house a few blocks away that the organization had purchased and renovated months earlier. Rising Tide Partners rented the home to the family at a greatly reduced rate, immediately removing them from their unsafe living conditions. Ironically, Pelling said the organization has since purchased the building the family fled, with a goal of rehabbing it for affordable residential and commercial use.
A Northside institution gets a new home.
Wilson's Bar-B-Q has served thousands of hungry Northsiders for generations. That almost ended when fire consumed the beloved eatery in 2019. Luckily, in 2023 owner Ira Lewis found a potential new Northside location in the Perry South neighborhood with the help of Rising Tide Partners. "They were a big help. They just kept throwing properties at me," said Lewis. "And if I had questions or feedback, they were really good at that, too."
Wilson's Bar-B-Q has served thousands of hungry Northsiders for generations. That almost ended when fire consumed the beloved eatery in 2019. Luckily, in 2023 owner Ira Lewis found a potential new Northside location in the Perry South neighborhood with the help of Rising Tide Partners.
"They were a big help. They just kept throwing properties at me," said Lewis. "And if I had questions or feedback, they were really good at that, too."
Just one problem with the proposed building: it was feet away from a privately owned and highly-dilapidated building. The structure didn't just hamper Wilson's Bar-B-Q's potential expansion - it was a blight for the entire community.
Under the auspices of Pittsburgh's Choice Neighborhoods program, Pelling said Rising Tide Partners bought the building and scheduled to demolish it. Knowing he wouldn't be neighbors with an eyesore led Lewis to buy the new location and reopen his restaurant.
"Lewis felt a lot more comfortable moving there because he knew we had control of this other building and he knew it was going to go away," said Peller. "It's a great story because it's not about us. It's about him and our community partners."
Lewis muses about what would have happened if Wilson's Bar-B-Q closed its doors for good. Then he grins and talks about the reality of the week he re-opened.
"Man, it was nuts. That week was a blur," Lewis recounts. "It was really nice. We got so much support from the community. It was truly amazing."
Lewis then adds this pro tip for diners: if you want the chicken, get there early. Because it always goes first.
Once developers get involved and once they're backed by tens of millions of dollars, things get a little funky.
