Unlocking Affordable Housing in The Lehigh Valley: A Community Discussion
The goal of our 2024 Housing Summits are to create an action plan with concrete recommendations to local and state leaders, landlords, and other key stakeholders to make affordable housing available to everyone in the Lehigh Valley.
SESSION 1
Thank you to all participants of our first session for Community Action's "Unlocking Affordable Housing in the Lehigh Valley" series! This event marks the beginning of our ambitious four-part housing summit, aiming to develop a local action plan. This plan will offer tangible recommendations to local and state officials, property owners, and other vital stakeholders, with the ultimate goal of ensuring affordable housing is accessible to everyone in the Lehigh Valley.
Our first session served as a vibrant brainstorming event, drawing approximately 50 individuals predominantly from the housing sector. Together, we delved into pressing issues, asking which neighborhoods are in dire need, which obstacles are currently presented by regulations, and strategies for involving community members in shaping these future policies.
A highlight of the session was an informative presentation by Becky Bradley, Executive Director of the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, who illuminated the severity of the affordable housing crisis and its disproportionate impact on the elderly, youth, and communities of color.
In order to incorporate diverse perspectives, we invited participants to share their personal experiences with housing challenges, resulting in dozens of insightful responses through Mentimeter, an app used to display presentations with real-time feedback. Queries about the current state of affordable housing elicited descriptions such as "unattainable, scarce, and of poor quality," while visions for the future emphasized "availability, safety, abundance, and stability." From a list of 11 critical housing issues, attendees prioritized their top concern as “improving and making existing housing stocks affordable, safe, and dignified” alongside “the creation of attainable housing units.”
As we continue our housing summit series, we are dedicated to setting clear short and long-term objectives and expanding our reach to include all relevant voices in these crucial discussions. While the conversation around affordable housing continues to evolve, Community Action is committed to transitioning from conversation to action, striving to prove that affordable housing is a human right for all.
session 2
Thank you to everyone who joined our second session of the housing summit series, "Unlocking Affordable Housing in the Lehigh Valley," on June 18. This session focused on setting clear short- and long-term objectives and broadening our engagement to include all relevant voices in these critical discussions. We finalized our short-term goals, which include improving existing units, redeveloping vacant or underused buildings, and increasing advocacy for affordable housing and co-op development. Our long-term goals include facilitating the transition from renter to homeowner, expanding public housing and community services, and enhancing capacity building and resource allocation.
We had the pleasure of hearing a presentation from Anna Smith, Director of Community Action Development Bethlehem, and Architect Wes Hiatt, AIA, NCARB from Lehigh University, who announced exciting news about an innovative solution for affordable housing in Bethlehem:
the alley house project!
Alley houses, a historic type of accessory dwelling unit that faces an alley, are built on properties with an existing residence. This initiative, spearheaded by the City of Bethlehem, Lehigh University, and CADB, in collaboration with New Bethany, aims to address the cost-of-living crisis by providing affordable housing options. In this context, "affordable" is defined as an apartment or home with rent capped at 30% of the renter's income, available to those earning less than 80% of the area median income. Construction could start this summer, so stay tuned for updates on this exciting new project!
resources
session 3
A big thank you to everyone who joined us for the third session of Community Action’s Housing Summit! This session was particularly special, featuring a presentation from State Representative Josh Siegel on state policies to tackle the housing crisis and how local municipalities can contribute to the solution. His passion for addressing the affordable housing crisis was evident, and his commitment to supporting change was inspiring.
During the session, we posed a variety of important questions to our panel, including:
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How can we ensure new housing developments serve the local community's needs rather than lead to displacement?
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In what ways can land banks facilitate housing development and play a role in community revitalization?
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How can supportive services be integrated into housing developments to promote long-term stability for residents?
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What steps can we take to align our housing policies and programs with neighboring jurisdictions to address regional housing needs?
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What tools and resources can be provided to smaller municipalities to help them enforce rental property regulations?
These questions, among others, sparked insightful responses from our diverse panel of experts, whose backgrounds ranged from community development and homelessness advocacy to mortgage management and real estate brokerage. Their perspectives offered a comprehensive view of the challenges and opportunities in addressing the housing crisis.
Our panelists included:
Lyn Kirshenbaum
Senior Management Analyst & Regional Homeless Coordinator, Housing & Urban Development
Tiffany McDaniel
Residential Mortgage Manager, First Northern Bank and Trust
Senator Nick Miller
(D-Lehigh/Northampton)
Sam Del Rosario
Associate Broker, Keller Williams Real Estate/Owner
Sara Satullo
Deputy Director of Community Development, City of Bethlehem
Jonathan Strauss
Founder/Developer, Cortex Residential
resources
session 4
Thank you to everyone who participated in the fourth session of our Housing Summit series, Unlocking Affordable Housing in the Lehigh Valley, on December 10. This session focused on the first priority identified by the group in March: Improving Existing Housing Stock. Participants explored three short-term and three long-term goals within this priority:
Short-Term Goals:
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Identify opportunities to improve existing units
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Redevelop existing buildings and vacant or underutilized retail centers
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Foster collaboration across jurisdictions and maximize public funding
Long-Term Goals:
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Rebuild public housing with a focus on mixed-income sites that include amenities and services
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Secure more funding for local municipalities to support owner-occupied rehabilitation of affordable housing units
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Update local ordinances to hold landlords accountable
During the session, attendees divided into four breakout groups to discuss how different stakeholders can contribute to achieving these goals. The groups included:
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Developers and Builders
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Local Municipalities, State, and Federal Governments
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Nonprofit and Community Organizations
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Lehigh Valley Community Members
Each group shared key takeaways that will help shape the final recommendations for this series. We appreciate your input!