Housing programs vital to county

Federal Housing Programs are vital to the health and wellbeing of thousands of Pennsylvanians, including many in Chester County. Access to affordable homes has wide reaching impact on the families and communities it touches.

Providing children with stable housing, and giving families, individuals and vulnerable populations access to a safe, decent, and affordable home produces economic mobility and reduces health problems.

Throughout my years of service at the Housing Authority of Chester County (HACC) I have interacted with a variety of families and individuals who have found that a stable home helped them move forward.

There are many examples but let me tell you about one of them.

Melissa D. (only using first name) is one such individual. Melissa became connected to HACC because of homelessness. She received financial assistance a year prior to us meeting her, but found it impossible to survive on $13,000 a year and was forced to leave the housing that she had.

Melissa resorted to crashing with friends, being unable to find a suitable home and then ended up on the street and eventually was forced to live in a shelter for the homeless.

She was referred to HACC and we were able to provide her and her family with housing assistance.

My organization was able to help place Melissa into affordable housing through the use of two vital programs.

She was processed and referred to our Rapid Re-Housing Program, which receives funding from the federal HUD Continuum of Care and to the HUD Housing Choice Voucher Program (also known as Section 8).

Through these two programs, Melissa found and was able to immediately move into an in an affordable apartment, in which she could pay 30% of her income, and had money left over for healthy food, new clothes, and for transportation to visit friends and family.

Melissa loves having a place of her own, and because of this assistance, she can also reach out to necessary supports should a crisis arise.

As noted, the HACC was able to help Melissa achieve a stable and satisfying life because of funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Programs from HUD not only help people become housed and stay there, they also reduce blight, fund services and housing for people experiencing homelessness, create new affordable homes, and repair those that have become dilapidated.

Each dollar invested in affordable housing yields increased earnings for residents, higher local tax revenue, and new job creation and job retention.

According to the report “A Place to Call Home” by the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding (CHCDF), building 100 affordable rental homes generates $11.7 million in local income, $2.2 million in taxes and other revenue and 161 local jobs in the first year alone.

Even though the results are phenomenal, these vital programs have been drastically cut through the years.

Cutting funding to housing programs actually creates more government spending in the long run.

Paying for a stay in a homeless shelter, an emergency room visit, hospitalization, or jail sentence costs a good deal more than helping someone pay rent in a home of their own.

As Congress and the Administration work on the budgets for fiscal years 2017 and 2018 I urge them to prioritize funding for programs that work and are drastically needed.

In an ideal world, HUD programs would have enough resources to ensure that no families lose homes and no blighted properties remain neglected.

It would mean the gap of 272,000 affordable and accessible homes in PA can be filled, and homelessness can finally become a thing of the past.

In the meantime, let’s make sure HUD does not lose ground. Funding must increase to cover rising rents so that people don’t lose their homes and we can continue to reduce homelessness.

America is stronger when its families and communities are strong. I thank you and those like Melissa, especially thank you! Dale P. Gravett Executive Director County Housing Authority