Allentown, and nearby Bethlehem and Easton are the largest communities in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. Two hours from New York and ninety minutes from Philadelphia, it has attracted many former residents of those cities seeking the conveniences of a city, but fewer of the problems.
The Consolidated Plan for Allentown, which was developed concurrently with its Community Development Plan, utilizes $3,730,887 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, $693,000 in HOME Investment Partnership (HOME) funds, and $120,000 in Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG) Program funds during the coming year. Programs will emphasize maintenance and rehabilitation of housing and neighborhoods.
The Consolidated Plan for Allentown was developed with input from many agencies, departments, supportive service providers, and individuals. This process included the participation of 20 neighborhood associations and crime watch groups who distributed over 10,000 leaflets throughout the city announcing a series of 10 community meetings. Approximately 200 citizens and 50 social service agencies attended these meetings.
The leaflets, along with a draft of the Community Development Plan, were also mailed to over 200 government agencies, human service organizations, community groups, churches, and individuals. Citizen participation was solicited through meetings, public hearings, mailings, and display advertisements.
MAP 1 depicts points of interest in the jurisdiction.
The 1990 census found that Allentown had a population of 105,020, an increase of 1 percent since 1980. However, declines were noted in both the average household size, to 2.4 in 1990, and in the number of family households. Most residents of Allentown were white (82 percent), but 5 percent were black, 12 percent Hispanic, and 1 percent Asian. While the overall number of minority residents more than doubled from 1980 to 1990, the largest increases during this period were in the Hispanic and Asian populations.
Median family income in 1990 was $31,972. Approximately 50 percent of all Allentown households are low- or moderate-income. Low-income households are those whose income is 0 to 50 percent of median family income (MFI) for the area. Within the low income group are extremely low-income households whose income is only 0 to 30 percent of MFI. Moderate-income households have incomes from 51 to 80 percent of MFI. Fifty-two percent of Hispanic households and 35 percent of the African American households fall into these categories. During the 1980s the city's proximity to New York and Philadelphia brought many extremely low-, low-, and moderate-income individuals to the area, and they settled in center city Allentown. Because many of the more affluent residents moved to other sections of the city, center city Allentown has been left with the image of being home to the poor and minorities.
In 1990, 28 percent of all households in Allentown were low-income, equivalent to maximum annual income of $21,500 for a family of four. Approximately 64 percent of low- income households were renters and 36 percent were homeowners. Of the 15 percent in the extremely low-income category, whose income for a family of four was no more than $12,900, 72 percent were renters and 28 percent were homeowners.
MAP 2 depicts points of interest and low-moderate income areas.
MAP 3 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and minority concentration levels.
MAP 4 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and unemployment levels.
Allentown experienced a sharp increase in property values during the 1980s, in part due to its close proximity to the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan areas. The increase in property values had a corresponding impact on rents and housing costs. The average value of an owner-occupied unit in 1990 was $76,600 and median rent was $434.
Approximately 45 percent of Allentown's housing units were built prior to 1940. Most of these units, which often require extensive rehabilitation and repair, are located in the extremely low- and low-income areas, and 15 percent of all rental units and 11 percent of all owner-occupied units are substandard.
According to the Allentown City Planning Commission's "Analysis of Housing Needs and opportunities in the City of Allentown," the city has approximately 290 acres of developable land. Residential land uses comprise 45 percent of the city's total land area. In 1990 there were 45,636 residential units in Allentown. Of this number, 41 percent were renter- occupied, 53 percent were owner-occupied, and 6 percent were vacant.
In 1990 the majority of rental units had zero to one bedroom while 36 percent had two bedrooms and 16 percent had three or more bedrooms. While this distribution may be beneficial to meeting the needs of the elderly and other small households, it is detrimental to large families needing rental housing. In 1990 median rent was $434 not including utilities. Increases in renter responsibilities, such as for utilities, has made housing unaffordable for a substantial portion of the renter households.
Of the owner-occupied units, 84 percent had three or more bedrooms while only 14 percent had two bedrooms and two percent had zero to one bedrooms. This is good for families with children but not for elderly households on a fixed income. The median value of an owner-occupied unit in 1990 was $76,600, which was a 121 percent increase over the $34,700 in 1980.
Most extremely low- and low-income households experienced excess cost-burden because they paid more than 30 percent of their income for housing. Extremely low-income owners and renters had similar levels of cost-burden. However, elderly renters had noticeably lower rates of excess cost-burden than other family types, including elderly homeowners.
The majority of all low-income homeowners (77 percent) lived in housing units built prior to 1940. Three out of four extremely low-income renter and owner-occupied households had a housing problem, and 3 percent of all households in the city experienced overcrowding.
In 1993 the Lehigh Valley Coalition on Affordable Housing conducted a one-night census among 10 emergency shelter and short-term transitional housing programs in Lehigh and Northampton Counties. Their census found 148 people served in the four facilities in Allentown, most of whom (76) were individuals and 22 were families with children. It is estimated that approximately 40 individuals are homeless in Allentown at any one time. Most are single men; 56 percent are white, 36 percent African American, and 5 percent Hispanic.
In addition to the three emergency shelters within Allentown with 143 beds, there are four transitional housing programs with a combined capacity of 47 units. Supportive services such as life skills education, support-system development, food, and housing case management are offered by various organizations. Shelter providers do not feel that there is a need for additional facilities to be developed at the present time. If the numbers of homeless should increase, they advocate the expansion of current facilities rather than the creation of new programs.
There are 1,446 conventional public housing units located within Allentown, 673 of which are for the elderly and disabled and 773 are for families. As of April 1995 there were 36 vacant units, an unusually high number that resulted from a gas explosion at the Gross Towers elderly high-rise. Rehabilitation work has prevented residents from returning to their apartments. Usually there are only three or four vacant units each year. Allentown's conventional public housing program is well managed and operated. The housing units are in good condition, the vacancy rate is low, and tenants are held accountable for their behavior.
Allentown's Housing Authority administers 1,014 Section 8 certificates and vouchers, 268 for the elderly and 746 for families. In addition, there are approximately 1,064 subsidized rental units within the city.
As of April 1995, the waiting list for conventional public housing had 526 households requesting family units and 429 asking for the elderly units. The Section 8 had a waiting list of 1,020 family households.
Adding together the public housing, Section 8 assisted, and other assisted units, there are 3,524 subsidized rental units within Allentown. This accounts for 8 percent of all residential housing and 19 percent of all renter-occupied units within the city.
For persons with special needs, Allentown offers supportive housing facilities for the elderly through three personal care boarding homes (with 313 beds) and four long-term care nursing homes (791 beds). Persons with substance abuse problems can find supportive housing in four residential rehabilitation programs. There are seven community residential rehabilitation programs available for the mentally ill. No facilities in Allentown provide supportive housing specifically for the 25 residents who have AIDS. However, the establishment of a 15-bed personal care home is currently underway, under the direction of the Episcopal Diocese Task Force on AIDS. A community networking consortium has been established to respond to the housing needs of people with disabilities.
Higher homeowner tax rates in Allentown than in suburban municipalities are a barrier to affordable housing.
Although its zoning ordinance does not negatively impact on affordable housing in general, the ordinance does not address single room occupancy units and may preclude the development of them. The city began a comprehensive review of its zoning ordinance in 1994 and modifications will be recommended to the Mayor and City Council.
Allentown allocated $53,409 for fair housing enforcement, education, and outreach activities.
Nine out of 10 housing units in Allentown were built prior to 1980 and have the potential for lead-based paint hazard. The Bureau of Health identified nine high-risk census tracts for blood-lead level screenings, most of which are located within the city's target and rehabilitation areas. Since January 1993 the Bureau of Health checked 1,977 children and found only 13 with elevated levels. Additional screenings at various pediatric clinics uncovered only 67 cases throughout the city.
The very low (1 percent) incidence of elevated blood-lead levels is due to an aggressive housing inspection program conducted by the Bureau of Code Enforcement and Rehabilitation. Over 5,000 housing units have been inspected over the past 20 years, with an additional 350 properties each year. The Housing Authority removed lead-based paint in its family public housing units in the 1980s. The Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program administered by the Bureau of Health identifies children who are at risk for lead poisoning, provides medical treatment and case management, and works with landlords to ensure lead hazard reduction.
The following community development problems were identified during the citizen participation process:
Four categories of concern are incorporated into Allentown's community development plan: housing, livability, community facilities, and economic development.
The Consolidated Plan for Allentown identified the following housing priorities:
Allentown identified these community development priorities:
In 1990, 13 percent of Allentown's residents lived in poverty, many of them living within the city's target and rehabilitation areas. The city has incorporated its belief that poverty rates are best lowered through developing individuals' skills for independence and self-sufficiency into its antipoverty strategy. Key components of this strategy provide:
The Consolidated Plan for Allentown identified various organizations as resources, including nonprofit development groups, service providers, financial institutions, and other for-profit businesses.
The city of Allentown's Department of Community Development is responsible for the overall implementation of the Consolidated Plan. The Department has close working relationships with the Housing Authority of the City of Allentown and various agencies and organizations. Within the Department, the Bureau of Code Enforcement and Rehabilitation has the largest role as the administrator of code enforcement and rehabilitation programs, while acquisition activities are the joint responsibility of the Bureau and the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Allentown.
MAP 5 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 6 is a map, sectioned by neighborhood, which depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 7 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within one of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 6.
MAP 8 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within another of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 6.
MAP 9 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded project(s) from a street level vantage point; as well as, provides a table with information about the project(s).
The action plan for Allentown in the coming year includes these key projects:
