In 2002, Deb Rose faced a familiar challenge in Wilkinsburg—she couldn’t secure a bank loan. For nine years, Rose rented an apartment at the corner of Whitney Avenue and Center Street, where the sounds of Motown, courtesy of Miss Lorna’s porch speakers, filled Sunday mornings. Despite the neighborhood’s rough reputation, Rose fell in love with Hamnett Place and knew she wanted to stay.
Across from her apartment stood a Queen Anne Victorian with a wraparound porch, a property Rose had admired since moving to the neighborhood in 1994. When one of the owners passed away, her husband agreed to sell it to Rose. However, Wilkinsburg was a redlined district, making traditional financing impossible. Determined, Rose turned to Dwelling House Savings and Loan, a Black-owned institution in the Hill District, which helped her purchase the house in 2003.
Twenty-one years later, Rose still calls the Victorian home, having converted it into two apartments. She lives downstairs, renting out the upstairs unit, and continually works on improvements, including a new back porch funded by the WCDC’s HARP Program. Additionally, Rose recently crafted a will through the WCDC’s free wills program to ensure her beloved home remains in the hands of someone who cherishes it as much as she does. Her will also aims to protect the neighborhood from predatory developers.
