Affordable housing in Poconos presents challenge, opportunity for change | Grossman
The Pocono-Northeast has many assets and challenges for the future. Among these is the issue of affordable housing and its role in this region.
Among the many opportunities include the Pennsylvania Housing Alliance as well as local housing authorities, but one of the key components is the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
This agency is not unknown to this region, however its current assistance capacity may not be as known today as it was in the past , going back to the Agnes flood recovery of June 1972 and even prior to that when housing authorities in this region became fashionable.
The HUD Strategic Plan focuses on housing and community development and is dedicated to equity, inclusive communities, and quality, affordable homes for all. In a recent publication, HUD stated that “millions of Americans struggle with housing and remain shut out from the opportunities a good home provides.”
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The Plan offers five strategic goals, including the following:
Support underserved communities
Ensure access to and increase the production of affordable housing
Promote home ownership
Advance sustainable communities
Strengthen HUD’s internal capacity
These are the core vision of what HUD hopes to accomplish in its Strategic Plan of 2022-2026. To carry out this Plan, HUD envisions core values as follows:
Accountability
Efficiency and Effectiveness
Fairness and Respect
Integrity
To accomplish these steps, HUD’s mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. Pursuing transformative housing an community-building policy and programs is essential and increasing Equity across all HUD programs is a significant component.
Among the goals outlined include the following:
Support Underserved Communities
Advance Housing Justice
Reduce Homelessness
Invest in the Success of Communities
Ensure access to and Increase the Production of affordable Housing
Increase the Supply of Housing
Improve Rental Assistance
Promote Home Ownership
Advance Sustainable Homeownership
Expand Home Ownership Opportunities
Create a More Accessible and Inclusive Housing Finance System
Advance Sustainable Communities
Guide Investment in Climate Resilience
Strengthen Environmental Justice
Integrate Health and Housing
In addition, HUD desires to improve its workforce, its internal capacity, acquisition management, information technology, financial and grants management, and trust in HUD services.
The Pocono-Northeast needs to focus on these elements, expand its housing system, examine and inventory regional housing to help determine how HUD can be utilized in meeting regional needs, and establish appropriate entities to accomplish more affordable housing arrangements in various regional counties.
Here are some ideas:
Create new regional housing organizations that can help meet needs.
Organize a series of forums on housing activities across the region.
Study successful affordable housing actions that have proven beneficial in other geographic areas to determine use in this region.
Upgrade housing components that need to be improved in the region.
Prepare a regional housing plan, using HUD and other elements that can be supportive of the Plan.
Focus attention on ways to maximize housing factors that can be key to advancing ways to meet our ability to improve or build new affordable housing across the region.
…Howard J. Grossman, AICP operates his own consulting company, HJG Associates, in Pittston, PA. He has a Master of Public Administration from New York University. He served as Executive Director of the Economic Development Council of Northeastern Pennsylvania (EDCNEPA). He may be contacted at grossmanhj@aol.com.
This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Opinion: Is there room for changes to affordable housing in Poconos?
