Funded Projects Will Increase Supply of Affordable Housing for Special Populations in Lancaster City
LANCASTER, Pa., Oct. 4, 2022 – Last week, the City of Lancaster and the Lancaster County Housing and Redevelopment Authorities jointly awarded Home Investment Partnerships American Rescue Plan Program (HOME-ARP) funds to two Lancaster city-based affordable housing projects.
YWCA Lancaster was awarded $639,016 for Y Forward. The funds will support four studio units in a larger 16-unit project at 110 N. Lime St.
The Chestnut Housing Corporation was awarded $550,000 for their Millburn Apartment project. This project will include eight units, both studio and two-bedroom units, at 607-609 Rockland St.
The funding for both projects was approved last Tuesday at the Lancaster County Redevelopment Authority board meeting.
“This is our first allotment of unique federal funding addressing the creation of affordable housing, specifically for persons who are homeless, at-risk of homelessness, fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence and human trafficking. The Lancaster County HOME Consortium was one of the first in Pennsylvania and throughout the United States to complete its plan on the use of this one-time funding and in doing so has already obtained access to almost $6.8 million to fund projects and programs in our community” said Justin Eby, Executive Director of the Lancaster County Housing and Redevelopment Authorities.
“With a third of city residents housing cost-burdened, increasing the supply of safe, quality affordable housing is high priority for the City. The allocation of these funds is especially important in providing support to those at greatest risk for housing instability,” said Mayor Danene Sorace.
Housing studies and planning show a need for a minimum of 300 additional affordable housing units and rehabilitation of a minimum of 1,000 existing affordable housing units within the city over the next five years. Both the YWCA and Chestnut Housing Corporation projects will supply affordable housing units supporting special populations, including: sheltered and unsheltered homeless populations; currently housed populations at risk of homelessness; those fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence or human trafficking; other families requiring services or housing assistance or to prevent homelessness; and those at greatest risk of housing instability or in unstable housing situations.
For all awarding and management of grants, the City of Lancaster follows a strict conflict of interest policy that is publicly available at www.cityoflancasterpa.com/uniform-guidance-avoidance-of-conflicts.
Author: Amaury Abreu
