Congratulations to the projects and programs in District 9 who were awarded Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement (PHARE) funding! This funding provides a significant boost to housing affordability initiatives in our 9th Senatorial District.
PHARE is a state-wide initiative that provides resources and funding to improve housing affordability for low-income families and individuals. Established by the “PHARE Act” (Act 105 of 2010), PHARE allocates certain state or federal funds, as well as funds from other outside sources, to assist with the creation, rehabilitation, and support of affordable housing throughout the Commonwealth.
This PHARE funding in D9 will help our local communities, nonprofits, and businesses address the housing needs throughout our communities. This funding will support a variety of housing affordability projects, including rental assistance, home modifications, and new construction.
Congrats District 9!
2023 District 9 PHARE Program and Project Awards
County: CHESTER
Proposal Name: Apartment Subleases & Trauma-Informed Case Management for Justice-Involved Women
Organization: Pennsylvania Home of the Sparrow
Funding Reserved: $50,000 PHARE/Realty Transfer Tax
Proposal Description:
This project will help Chester County women reenter the community from the criminal justice system by providing intensive case management services and rapid access to apartments leased by Home of the Sparrow where they will have wrap-around services to help find a job, become financially literate, address health and addiction issues, and reunify with children while living in a safe apartment on a sliding fee scale.
County: CHESTER
Proposal Name: Chester County Eviction Prevention Court (EPC)
Organization: Friends Association for the Care and Protection of Children
Funding Reserved: $200,000 PHARE/Realty Transfer Tax
Proposal Description: Friends Association’s Eviction Prevention Court (EPC) Program is the only legal service in Chester County solely focused on eviction prevention. EPC’s goal is to prevent displacement, stabilize communities, and ensure housing equity in Chester County. EPC provides individuals and families with free legal services and social services on the day of and leading up to an eviction hearing, financial assistance, tenant rights education, and connections to supportive services.
County: CHESTER
Proposal Name: Homelessness Prevention for Victims and Survivors of Domestic Violence
Organization: Domestic Violence Center of Chester County
Funding Reserved: $100,000 PHARE/Realty Transfer Tax
Proposal Description: Domestic violence is one of the leading reasons individuals experience homelessness. The increase in the need for our counseling services did not diminish during the pandemic. In fact, it increased. Our goal is to enhance victim and survivor safety by maintaining current programs and services and expanding our capacity to meet the increasing need for our services to support victim-survivors. DVCCC offers clients trauma-focused- cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) as the evidence-based treatment.
County: CHESTER
Proposal Name: Homelessness Prevention in Southern Chester County
Organization: Kennett Area Community Service
Funding Reserved: $60,000 PHARE/Realty Transfer Tax
Proposal Description: Kennett Area Community Service (KACS) seeks funding to support Homeless Prevention, Diversion, Emergency Housing, and Rapid Re-Housing as part of our Emergency Assistance Program for families and individuals experiencing housing crisis in the Southern Chester County region. This is a continuation of existing services.
County: CHESTER
Proposal Name: Housing Counseling Program
Organization: Housing Partnership of Chester County
Funding Reserved: $50,000 PHARE/Realty Transfer Tax
Proposal Description: The Housing Partnership of Chester County (HPCC) seeks funding to support our Housing Counseling services that are provided to partner agencies. As of this point, HPCC does not receive any financial support for offering these programs and looks to expand our capacity to partner with other local agencies around financial literacy, credit counseling, and pre/post housing counseling. Between 2017 and 2022 HPCC has impacted over 2500 individuals with these services.
County: CHESTER
Proposal Name: Housing Locator Program
Organization: Housing Authority of the County of Chester
Funding Reserved: $350,000 PHARE/Realty Transfer Tax
Proposal Description: The coordination of assistance provided by our Housing Locator team along with case management and Landlord Risk Reduction Funds allows the Housing Locator Program to function successfully under the umbrella of the Housing Authority of the County of Chester. This program best serves low-income residents within our community who need assistance with securing a unit based on their specific needs and becoming successfully and stably housed. Please see narrative and plan.
County: CHESTER
Proposal Name: Safe Harbor Shelter & Case Management Program
Organization: Safe Harbor of Chester County, Inc.
Funding Reserved: $150,000 PHARE/Realty Transfer Tax
Proposal Description: SHCC, a fully ADA approved emergency shelter in West Chester, is the largest and only shelter available for female, male, transgender, or non-binary adults in Chester County providing more than 65% of the total emergency shelter beds available for single adults. Through case management services, current residents are given full attention to help move them toward self-sustainability & permanent housing placement. SHCC also works with former residents to them not return to homelessness.
County: CHESTER
Proposal Name: Street Outreach and Data Team Reinforcement Efforts
Organization: Chester County Department of Community Development
Funding Reserved: $375,000 PHARE/Realty Transfer Tax
Proposal Description: This project will increase the capacity of our Street Outreach and Data Team, to meeting rising demand and allow for a more robust data tracking. This expansion will allow for more timely verification, intervention and help further reporting and data driven decision making. Outreach and data services are critical to making homelessness in Chester County rare, brief, and non-recurring.
County: CHESTER
Proposal Name: Targeted Homelessness Resource Coordination
Organization: Open Hearth, Inc.
Funding Reserved: $110,000 PHARE/Realty Transfer Tax
Proposal Description: The Targeted Homelessness Resource Coordination (THRC) program is a community-wide effort to end homelessness in Chester County led by the THRC program coordinator. The coordinator leads case conferencing and resource coordination with shelters, partner agencies and County representatives. This work includes creating and maintaining a By-Name list of those experiencing homelessness in the County and working with all housing providers to prioritize those on this list for permanent housing.
County: CHESTER/LANCASTER
Proposal Name: Home Repairs for Low-Income Homeowners
Organization: Good Neighbors, Inc.
Funding Reserved: $100,000 PHARE/Realty Transfer Tax
Proposal Description: Good Neighbors has been repairing homes for low-income homeowners in southern Chester Co at no cost to them for 30 years. Starting this year, we began a pilot program to begin this same work by repairing homes in southern Lancaster Co. We have a significant backlog of homes requesting repairs for leaking roofs, broken furnaces, unsafe steps, and wheelchair ramps and other critical needs. This grant would allow Good Neighbors to help 20 families have safe, dry, warm, and healthy homes next year.
County: CHESTER/MONTGOMERY
Proposal Name: Accessibility Renovations, Group Homes for Adults With Intellectual Disabilities
Organization: KenCrest Services
Funding Reserved: $150,000 PHARE/Realty Transfer Tax
Proposal Description: This project will install accessibility modifications to three group homes for adults with intellectual disabilities. Each home houses 2-4 adults who need help with Activities of Daily Living, like bathing, showering or dressing. (10 individuals total) Many of these residents already use wheelchairs, and more will need to do so as they age. The modifications proposed will make bathing and using the restroom easier and safer for our clients.
County: DELAWARE
Proposal Name: CCIP’s West-End Affordable Housing Initiative
Organization: Chester Community Improvement Project, Inc.
Funding Reserved: $200,000 PHARE/Realty Transfer Tax
Proposal Description: The Chester Community Improvement Project (CCIP) is seeking $200,000.00 in (PHARE/RTT) Funding to support the site development costs of a vacant parcel of land for the construction of 14 new affordable homes in a neighborhood on the west-side of the City of Chester. Each home is anticipated to have 1500 sf. and have 3 bedrooms and 1-1/2 bathrooms. The project will address the lack of quality affordable housing options available for homeownership for low/moderate-income, first-time homebuyers.
County: DELAWARE
Proposal Name: Domestic Abuse Project of Delaware County’s Relocation and Housing Assistance Program
Organization: Domestic Abuse Project of Delaware County, Inc.
Funding Reserved: $200,000 PHARE/Realty Transfer Tax
Proposal Description: DAP’s two year PHARE will help DAP staff work with DV survivors to identify safe housing, help assess safety in a new location within the community, provide advocacy in landlord negotiations, and assist survivors in identifying other community resources. Additionally, PHARE funding will provide financial assistance to cover the cost of security and utility deposits, furniture, replacing lost or stolen personal documents, etc.
County: DELAWARE
Proposal Name: Eviction Prevention for Delaware County Families
Organization: Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Delaware Valley
Funding Reserved: $229,470 PHARE/Realty Transfer Tax
Proposal Description: Clarifi”s eviction prevention program utilizes a case-management counseling model to prevent evictions through income/expenses analysis, resource connections, technical assistance in applications, coaching through conversations with landlords, and by providing monetary assistance.
County: DELAWARE
Proposal Name: HOMESHARING PILOT PROGRAM
Organization: Media Fellowship House
Funding Reserved: $75,000 PHARE/Realty Transfer Tax
Proposal Description: MFH will pilot a homesharing program in Delaware County. This innovative housing solution will strengthen partnerships with County agencies, and establish and increase our capacity to address housing stability for low- to moderate-income Delaware County residents over the long term. Homesharing counseling services will match those seeking affordable housing options with those who have space available in their homes.
County: DELAWARE
Proposal Name: Housing Counseling and Financial Education Services
Organization: Media Fellowship House
Funding Reserved: $80,000 PHARE/Realty Transfer Tax
Proposal Description: Media Fellowship House (MFH) offers financial education and counseling services to low- to moderate- income households in Pennsylvania to tackle inequalities and disparities in access to homeownership and to create housing stability for households at risk of homelessness.
County: DELAWARE
Proposal Name: Housing Opportunities Program for Equity (HOPE)
Organization: The Foundation for Delaware County
Funding Reserved: $240,749 PHARE/Realty Transfer Tax
Proposal Description: HOPE provides an innovative and comprehensive suite of services to Delaware County families with low incomes to ensure they have safe and stable housing. Services include case management, civil legal services, placement, access to housing vouchers, tenant rights education, support in accessing benefit/assistance programs, and direct financial assistance. HOPE also works to build a more equitable housing system in Delaware County through advocacy, convening, and collaboration.
County: DELAWARE
Proposal Name: Pursuit to Creating Caring Clean & Cost Efficient Housing II
Organization: Caring Housing Solutions Co
Funding Reserved: $299,162 PHARE/Realty Transfer Tax
Proposal Description: Our objective is to rehabilitate homes in underserved low-income communities to improve blight, and unsafe areas due to abandoned and neglected homes. We plan to use PHARE funds to rehabilitate two properties – one for low-income housing and one for supportive housing. We’ll hire architects and contractors experienced in designing homes and rental properties, ensuring the home meets the unique needs of our residents.
County: DELAWARE
Proposal Name: Rent and Utility Assistance – Delaware County
Organization: Community Action Agency of Delaware County, Inc.
Funding Reserved: $100,000 PHARE/Realty Transfer Tax
Proposal Description: CAADC is an important part of the CoC in Delaware County and a primary provider of social services including Rent and Utility Assistance. However, there is a gap in resources available based on the need of economically disadvantaged households in crisis, especially since the Pandemic. Additional funding for Rent and Utility Assistance will help to assure that homelessness is prevented and/or eliminated for many residents providing them with safe and affordable housing.
County: DELAWARE
Proposal Name: Ruth L Bennett Homes Renovation Project
Organization: Housing Authority of the City of Chester
Funding Reserved: $499,867 PHARE/Realty Transfer Tax
Proposal Description: In general, the work on this renovation project consists of the interior renovation of twenty (20) existing housing units, including HVAC system repairs, fire suppression system repairs, carbon monoxide detector installation, renovated kitchens and bathrooms, installation of energy compliant appliances and led light fixtures.
County: DELAWARE
Proposal Name: Wesley House Shelter
Organization: Wesley House Community Corporation, Inc.
Funding Reserved: $100,000 PHARE/Realty Transfer Tax
Proposal Description: The Wesley House Shelter is an important part of the Continuum of Care in Delaware County and a vital provider of emergency shelter care. The need for safe and decent short-term emergency shelter continues to be significant in Delaware County. The Wesley House Shelter helps to meet local homeless needs by preventing homelessness through the provision of emergency shelter and supportive programs. Participants are also supported with moving along the CoC towards stable housing.
County: DELAWARE/PHILADELPHIA
Proposal Name: Critical Home Repair
Organization: Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery and Delaware Counties, Inc.
Funding Reserved: $400,000 PHARE/Realty Transfer Tax
Proposal Description: Critical Home Repair supports homeowners who are seniors, Veterans, and people with disabilities, whose income does not exceed 80% of the area median income. By repairing homes with system failures for low/moderate income homeowners or who are on a fixed income, we are able to preserve the existing housing stock, provide the homeowner with a safe, functioning, decent home that allows them to age in place, improve health outcomes, and promote generational wealth building through homeownership.
County: DELAWARE/PHILADELPHIA
Proposal Name: Comprehensive Housing Counseling Initiative
Organization: Affordable Housing Centers of Pennsylvania
Funding Reserved: $100,000 PHARE/Realty Transfer Tax
Proposal Description: AHCOPA will educate and engage households of color primarily to help them achieve their housing goal of home purchase, avoidance of eviction or foreclosure. Encompassed in our program, counselors will assist households on improving their credit, money management skills and financial capacity. Homeownership offers the benefits of stability, community and intergenerational wealth generation.