Lycoming County’s Department of Planning and Community Development recently announced funding opportunities for affordable housing projects. These funds are coming through the PHARE Act, which stands for Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement Fund. It was designed in 2010 to provide the mechanism by which certain allocated state or federal funds, as well as funds from other outside sources, would be used to assist with the creation, rehabilitation, and support of affordable housing throughout the Commonwealth.

Lycoming County is one of 32 counties in the Commonwealth that qualify for PHARE funding. There are three key areas that PHARE is designed to address: preservation/rehabilitation of existing housing, rental housing creation, and homelessness prevention.

In the area of preservation and rehabilitation, the focus is on rehabilitation of existing housing stock, including owner-occupied rehab. It could involve the demolition of blighted, abandoned, or otherwise at-risk housing. It could also be reclaiming or renewal of brownfields or vacant land where housing was once located for community green space. (Note: a brownfield is a property that has the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant which would need addressed for the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of the property.)

In terms of rental housing creation, the program could assist in the development of new and affordable rental units. This may include acquisition, pre-development costs, construction and/or significant rehabilitation, and demolition where the development of affordable housing is the end goal.

The other area that PHARE funds could be applied would be Homelessness Prevention. Just as it sounds, this focuses on addressing the ongoing needs of individuals and families at risk for homelessness. This covers quite a wide scope, including rapid re-housing, rent/utility/transportation assistance, landlord outreach, case management, and short-term emergency shelter care. It also is designed to increase the availability of integrated housing opportunities, supportive services, and resources for vulnerable populations such as veterans, the re-entry population, persons dealing with addiction disorder(s), disabled persons, and at-risk youth.

Lycoming County is soliciting projects on a competitive basis to include in its 2021 application to the state for PHARE funds. The deadline is short — October 15th, 2021 — so those that are interested should immediately apply for materials and instructions, which are available on the County’s website at http://www.lyco.org/housing. Those who have further questions should contact Jenny Picciano, Community Development/Lead Planner for the Lycoming County of Planning and Community Development, at 570-320-2136 or jpicciano@lyco.org.