County Crosses Fingers Again for Emergency Housing Grant
Community Action Executive Director Ken Heilman (standing) asks County Commissioners to sign off on a $126,000 grant request last week to provide emergency housing to those in need from different agencies.
by Jonathan Weaver
County social service leaders hope to provide emergency housing for the third consecutive year in Armstrong County.
Last week, Community Action Executive Director Ken Heilman requested commissioners apply for $126,000 in funding – which is received by the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement Fund (PHARE) annually via Act 13 Marcellus Shale impact fees.
“What (the funding does) is provides emergency housing for the social service programs in Pennsylvania,” Heilman said. “In Armstrong County, we keep people up to two months and we try to get them into other housing programs and back on their feet.”
Grant funding will also be provided to HAVIN (Helping All Victims in Need) after Community Action received $200,000 in local match funds.
Community Action Director Dan Dodd said the grant is also a collaborate effort between mental health and drug and alcohol authorities.
“There’s no emergency shelter in Armstrong County other than HAVIN, so this allows us to create some scattered emergency housing for homeless people, with whatever problems they might be having,” Dodd said. “The grant pays for the housing units themselves.
“It’s worked real well for us.”
Community Action Agency officials also had previous meetings with Children, Youth and Family Services (CYF), the commissioners and other agencies.
“We had agreed to apply for this – thought it would be a good idea,” Heilman reaffirmed. “It’s worked out really well.”
Dodd said there is no time limit to using the grant, but it is unknown when officials will receive word on grant funding.
Last year, Community Action only received $57,000 – which decreased housing availability from eight units to four units.
Dodd said due to the decrease in funds, Community Action leaders have tried alternative housing for homeless residents but Heilman added that State funding cuts have now limited how many days that is possible.
“We used to be able to put someone in a hotel for 30 days – now, we can do it for maybe five (days),” Heilman said. “They just cut funding tremendously.”
The motion was unanimously approved by County Commissioners Pat Fabian, George Skamai and Jason Renshaw.
According to the PA Housing Finance Agency – which manages the funds - , PHARE was established 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.
The PHARE Act did not allocate any funding but did outline specific requirements that include preferences, considerations, match funding options and obligations to utilize a percentage of the funds to assist households below 50 percent of the median area income.
The Marcellus Shale impact fee legislation allocates certain amounts from the impact fee into the PHARE Fund to address the need for affordable housing in the counties where producing nonconventional gas wells are located, who have adopted the local impact fee as required in the Act.
Local News | jweaver August 10, 2016
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By jorn jensen, August 10, 2016 @ 7:56 AM
So, crossing fingers is a method to make something happen? What about taking specific actions like personally contacting legislators and such? Writing letters, campaigning, attending meetings and that sort of action?
“The Marcellus Shale Impact fee legislation allocates certain amounts from the impact fee into the PHARE Fund to address the need for affordable housing in the counties where producing nonconventional gas well are located, who have adopted the local impact fee as required in the act.”
It would be real nice, also, if those who already own property could afford to keep them - remember, this month is the annual rent check to the school district from property owners. Support HB/SB 76, school property tax elimination, and support PTCC - Pennsylvania Taxpayer Cyber Coalition. We are a fast-growing group and we will affect the voting for legislators - we can’t just have 1/4 of the state’s residents paying for all of the public education and their pensions - that’s why you have the multi-page sheriffs’ sales in this, and surrounding counties - the property owners cannot afford to absorb this fast=growing cost.