The governor named 214 housing and community development initiatives Statewide including 4 from Schuylkill County, that will share a portion of the total $45.79 million in PHARE funding.
The PHARE fund, which is sometimes referred to as the state Housing Trust Fund, is managed by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency.
“The PHARE program is successful due to its flexibility and its ability to leverage local partnerships and leadership to effectively address broad housing needs” said Gov. Wolf. “It encourages local organizations and elected officials to come together and jointly decide the best way to enhance their community’s housing stock. PHARE is making a positive difference across the state.”
Funding for the PHARE program comes from three main sources.
Since 2012, the program has received a portion of the impact fees collected from natural gas companies operating in the state with the goal of addressing the housing shortage caused by the impact of drilling.
That is supplemented with two other funding sources that include a portion of the realty transfer tax and money from the National Housing Trust Fund. Today’s PHARE funding is expected to impact nearly 2,000 Pennsylvania households through a variety of efforts funding:
• Rental/utility assistance
• Down payment/closing cost assistance for first-time homebuyers
• Blight remediation initiatives
• Rental housing preservation and rehabilitation, and
• Other innovative projects and programs
“The current pandemic has demonstrated just how important affordable housing is and why we need more of it,” said PHFA Executive Director and CEO Robin Wiessmann.
“Since its start in 2012, PHARE has proven to be an invaluable funding source to help communities address their most urgent housing needs.”
The projects being funded in Schuylkill County are:
- The Schuylkill Home Repair Expansion Project organized by the Schuylkill Community Action - $80,000
- Schuylkill Community Action (SCA) is seeking PHARE funds to support the Schuylkill Home Repair Expansion Project (SHREP). Through SHREP, SCA is looking to provide 20 low-income Schuylkill County homeowners with funding to repair and replace major home systems in order to preserve their homes. Major home systems targeted for rehabilitation will include roof and drainage, electrical, heating and air, plumbing, and fire/smoke protection systems.
- Schuylkill County Land Bank Acquisition for Rehab organized by the Schuylkill County Land Bank - $60,000
- This project will involve the acquisition and rehabilitation of two blighted properties by the Schuylkill County Land Bank for sale to income eligible purchasers. Major systems will be updated or replaced, structural issues will be addressed and all code violations will be resolved. One of the properties will be made available to a household under 50% of the County AMI; the other property will be made available to a household up to 100% of the County AMI.
- Ashland Borough Owner-Occupied Rehab organized by the Borough of Ashland - $80,000
- The project will result in the rehabilitation of nine owner-occupied properties in Ashland Borough in an eight-block target where a number of related investments have been focused. Forgiveness grants up to $20,000 will be provided to income eligible households for upgrades of major systems as well as accessibility improvements for seniors and households with mobility impairments.
- Servants to All Homeless Prevention and Diversion Program organized by Servants to All - $32,000
- Servants to All's Homeless Prevention and Diversion Program provides assistance to targeted vulnerable populations such as veterans, persons with disabilities, the re-entry population, and families and youth in the form of hotel vouchers, rooming house fees, security deposits, and rental and utility assistance. PHARE funds will expand the program and enable Servants to All to reach 165 households facing imminent homelessness in Schuylkill County.