Pike and Sullivan: key housing strategies

Posted 1/24/23

UPPER DELAWARE RIVER VALLEY — A river may run between them, but Pike County, PA and Sullivan County, NY share an issue of unaffordable housing.

Articles in this week's edition of the River …

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Pike and Sullivan: key housing strategies

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UPPER DELAWARE RIVER VALLEY — A river may run between them, but Pike County, PA and Sullivan County, NY share an issue of unaffordable housing.

Articles in this week's edition of the River Reporter covered efforts from both counties to address that issue, including a rental subsidy program in Pike, and a development in Monticello. (Click here to read the Pike County article, and click here to read the Sullivan County article.)

Both county's plans have as their foundation studies into the county's housing problems. The following are some of the key strategies that each county identified as salves for its housing wounds.

Telling your housing story

Are you or is someone you know struggling to pay rent or find an affordable home in the borough of Honesdale? The River Reporter wants to hear from you.

We are aware that residential and storefront rents are rising in Honesdale and want to talk with residents impacted—those who have lost their homes to rent increases or who are having trouble finding an affordable place to live.

Email reporter Elizabeth Lepro at elereporting@gmail.com if you’re interested in sharing your story.

Key strategies in Pike

1: Facilitate access to existing affordable housing

Ensuring that housholds can access available resources is critical. The county should facilitate access by people seeking housing and make it easier for landlords and property owners to market the housing that is available.

2: Expand the stock of affordable rental housing

The extreme shortage of rental housing in Pike County must be remedied, through development taking advantage of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program and through other multi-family rental programs.

3: Provide options for older adults to age in place

AARP surveys consistently find a majority of older adults prefer to age in their homes and communities, as did a Pike-specific survey; actions can be taken to enable Pike’s older adults to follow that preference.

4: Increase non-traditional housing options for individuals with special housing needs

Affordable housing is needed for people with special needs, including: the homeless population, individuals with physical, cognitive or developmental disabilities, veterans and youth in transition.

5: Foster homeownership for ALICE* and other households

While homeownership is not a high priority need for Pike’s lowest income households, households who move into home ownership free up rental opportunities for other households in need while possibly decreasing their costs.

*ALICE: Asset Limited, Income Constrained, and Employed

Source: Pike Strategic Housing Plan; November 2020; prepared by Diana T. Myers and Associates, Inc.

Key strategies in Sullivan

1. Rehabilitate 240 existing rental units, and build 80 new units.

Expanding the total number of rental units in Sullivan, and improving the quality of existing units, will incrementally build the community’s capacity to implement housing strategies going forward.

2. Extend the life of existing low-income housing.

Properties developed with Low Income Housing Tax Credits may not convert to market-rate housing as those credits expire; the county can provide gap financing to refinance and rehab the property.

3. Update land use regulations to support housing investments.

Municipalities can update their zoning codes to facilitate new multi-family development as one of the more important actions they can take; they should as well lay out infrastructure priorities.

4. Create long-term emergency housing solutions.

A long-term solution to support households and individuals with the highest level of need, replacing the use of hotels or motels, can better serve those individuals and families.

5. Create a pipeline of rehabbed and affordable home ownership options.

Less expensive homes are often neglected and require significant upgrades; the Sullivan County Land Bank can provide those upgrades by rehabilitating properties and selling them to qualified buyers.

Source: The Sullivan Compehensive Housing Strategy, September 2022, prepared by CZB LLC

housing, Pike County, Sullivan County

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