provides homeless and housing related services through Catholic Charities, the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley (CACLV), and other partner organizations.
Allentown Homeless Commission (AHC):
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- Allentown Council members vow to wage ‘war on slumlords’; news conference leads to shouting match with Center City landlord (Morning Call: Mar. 22, 2021)
- Could Allentown become ‘hell on earth’ for bad landlords? City Council brainstorms multi-front attack (Morning Call: Apr. 1, 2021)
- With 1 in 3 households ‘cost burdened,’ Lehigh Valley cities try to tackle the affordable housing crisis (MorningCall: Apr. 1, 2021)
- How to end homelessness: New Allentown commission weighs best investments of money set aside to deal with issue (MorningCall: Jan. 31, 2021)
Operation Address The Homeless of the Lehigh Valley (OATH-LV).
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Debate over Tiny Houses continues:
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- On March 10, 2021, Lehigh County Commissioners approved allocation of $24 million in Emergency Rental Assistance funds from the Dec. 27, 2020 COVID relief bill for administration by Catholic Charities and the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley. (See Resolution 2021-25.)
- Wilberto Sicard gave a Zoom report on his Lehigh University thesis on Nov. 17, 2020:
“City with Limits: An Untold History of Residential Segregation & Education Inequality in Allentown, PA.”
City with Limits traces the history of residential segregation in Allentown and its impact on the city’s public school system. The end of the project offers policy proposals that are aimed to help the city fully realize its recently-adopted nickname, “City without limits.”
— Web page for Berto’s thesis
— Slides and Thesis (PDF) - Pennsylvania Budget Summit 2021 – includes a workshop on the Housing Crisis in Pennsylvania. To view the recorded workshop (and all the other sessions) and download resource materials, you need to register (for a cost of $10) at whova.com/portal/registration/pbsa_202101/. (The workshops on various topics are being held on four successive Thursdays: March 11, 18, and 25, and April 1.)
— Pennsylvania’s Housing Crisis: The Scope of the Crisis and the Policies to Address It
(recorded on March 18) The housing crisis in Pennsylvania has been growing for many years, but the coronavirus pandemic has both exposed and deepened the problems facing renters and homeowners alike. This workshop featured housing advocates and activists, as well as Levana Layendecker, the associate director of Keystone Research Center and Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center. Invited speakers include:
— Andrea Mannino, Senior Advisor, Policy & Practice, Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania
— Senator Nikil Saval, 1st Senatorial District of Pennsylvania
— Stephanie Sena, Anti Poverty Fellow, Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law
(Presentation slides are also available for download by registered participants.) - Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania (housingalliancepa.org)
— Building Blocks of Landlord Tenant Mediation: A Toolkit for Developing a Local Program
— Resources on public policy and legislation related to housing, including recorded webinars.
— Act 1, signed into law February 5, 2021, repeals the authority of Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency in administering the former CARES Act funds and establishes a new Rental and Utility Assistance program. The legislation names the Department of Human Services (DHS) as the administering agency giving authority to implement and oversee the program in accordance with federal law. - Pennsylvania Government Agencies:
- National Advocacy Partners
- National Low Income Housing Coalition Report: (March 18, 2021)
— “The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes – March 2021”
— the report website (www.ncsha.org) - “Reveal” podcast: “The red line: Racial disparities in lending” (2019)
Updated: April 6, 2021