Chester County is part of the Philadelphia, PA-NJ Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA). Suburban sprawl has spread outward during the 1970's and 1980's to the central and eastern parts of the county. The areas recognized as urbanized in the 1980 census have continued to increase. The concentration of population and development is steadily spreading outward. However, the western and northern parts of the county are still considered rural. Despite the relative affluence of the county, a lack of affordable housing, homelessness, and unemployment exist within its borders.
Chester County estimates that it will receive approximately $3,220,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program funds, $842,000 in HOME Investment Partnership (HOME) program funds, and $86,000 in Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG) program funds. The county will use the Federal funds for affordable and supportive housing and for community development.
Preliminary public hearings were held at six accessible locations throughout the county. The purpose of the first set of public hearings was to describe the consolidated planning process, the citizen participation component and to obtain input on housing and community development needs.
Public hearings were conducted in July and August in the municipalities of Coatesville, Kennett Square, Malvern, Oxford, Phoenixville and West Chester. These are six different communities which represent the spectrum of social and economic conditions existing in the county. A public hearing was also held to review the draft submission. This hearing was held during the required thirty day public comment period.
Each of the public hearings scheduled for these municipalities had a nonprofit sponsor. Requesting a local sponsorship was a technique that had been used successfully in the past to encourage local participation. Nonprofit organizations can assist in two ways; they encourage participation and they provide a local perspective. Also, citizens were usually less intimidated attending a hearing sponsored by a nonprofit.
Different methods were used to notify residents of meetings and public
hearings, these included; 1) advertising in the local and regional newspapers,
2) posting brochures and flyers at strategic locations, 3) making announcements
through local organizations, and 4) notifying through direct mailings.
Over the past few decades the population of Chester County has grown significantly. The 1990 Census reported the population at 376,396. This represented an increase of 19% over the 1980 population of 316,660, and an increase of 36% over the 1970 population of 277,746. Since 1960, the County's population has grown by almost 79%, indicating a tremendous influx of new residents.
An evaluation of the household characteristics indicates that there have been increases in both family and non-family households. The number of households and non-family households have increased 22% and 46% respectively. There has also been an increase in the number of female-headed households of 27% Of the 133,592 households in Chester County, 36,157 are considered low and very low income.
The racial and ethnic minority population did not increase substantially
over the past decade from a level of approximately 8%. The actual numbers
increased from 28,358 to 31,465 during this time period. Much of this change
was due to an increase in the Hispanic population which grew by 2,827 persons.
One of the most important factors affecting the housing market in Chester County is housing affordability. The regional market can easily be summarized by stating that it caters to high income residents. A number of reasons exist for this lopsided market such as zoning restrictions, high development costs and NIMBYism.
A recent publication of the Community Alliance for Affordable Housing, Housing Crisis in the Suburbs, defines housing affordability as a mismatch between jobs and housing. This means that the housing is not well suited to the jobs created by suburban business enterprises. Many light industrial and office/research facilities have located in Chester County, initially drawn by both the availability of land and low land costs. Employees were forced to relocate to maintain their jobs and this created a demand for all types of housing, particularly, low and moderate income housing.
The biggest problem faced by individuals of limited financial resources is the inability to locate and secure safe, affordable housing. Individuals in this group simply cannot afford to rent, let alone own a house, in a county where the median rent level is $496 per month, and the median sales price is $149,000.00.
The reality is that many households in Chester County expend over 30% of their income towards housing costs and many pay 50% or more. Specifically, 68.2% of the households with incomes between zero and 30% of the MFI are cost burdened. Slightly less, 56.8%, report being severely cost burdened. For households making between 31% and 50% of the MFI, 74.4% are experiencing a cost burden while only 38.2% report being severely cost burdened.
To compensate for high housing costs, individuals often subject themselves to living in substandard and overcrowded conditions. The 1990 census indicates that two-hundred and ninety-three families are living in overcrowded conditions. As would be expected, a majority of those, two-hundred to be exact, are large family households. The reason is clear considering the availability of rental units with three or more bedrooms. The census indicates that only forty-five affordable rental units with 3 or more bedrooms were vacant at the time of reporting.
The 1990 Census showed that there are 139,597 year-round housing units in Chester County. The percentage of owner-occupied units is 70.7%, an increase from 70.2% since 1980.The supply of housing units in the inventory increased by 25,226.
The cost of housing in Chester County rose dramatically from 1980 to 1990. The median value of owner-occupied units rose from $63,500 to $155,900 or an increase of 145.5%. The number of units costing more than $150,000 increased from 2,262 to 43,709. The number of units that were valued at less than $100,000 declined significantly from 50,426 units to 16,100 units. The median rental cost in 1990 for Chester County was $496. This figure represents 74.6% increase from the median rental cost in 1980.
Affordability of the housing market in Chester County became more problematic during the 1980's. The pace of creation of affordable housing has not matched the growth rate of housing in general. The median sales cost of housing increased from $66,000 in 1981 to $149,000 in 1990, an increase of 125%. While the supply of housing in the county is adequate, the availability of housing to low-income families is inadequate. The affordable housing gap in Chester County is 40% of income (with the median sales price of $149,000 and median household income at $41,376). The affordable housing gap is the difference between the month cost of purchasing a house priced at the median and 30% of a family's monthly income.
The conclusion of three studies performed to analyze affordable housing needs indicate that there is a lack of available for-sale and rental housing for low and very-low income persons in Chester County. Some of the specific conclusions were:
The specific needs of the homeless vary with different subpopulations, but the need for shelter is common to all. Chester County is fortunate to have an excellent shelter system. There is currently little need for additional shelter space. However, the existing shelters do need to be supported from an operations and maintenance standpoint.
The next level of housing needed which directly relates to homeless is transitional housing. Transitional housing is necessary to effectively deal with the homeless problem. It represents the most critical need in Chester County. Additionally, support services provided at stages are key to dealing with the issue of homelessness. Intensive case management is needed to connect homeless individuals to the resources need.
Public housing is a major part of the continuum of care. There are 507 units of public housing in Chester County and over 1100 Section 8 certificates in use. The Housing Authority of Chester County is presently in a state of transition and changes in administration are eminent. Greater tenant participation, better security measures and unit rehabilitation are all needs.
Barriers to affordable housing can be quite complex, but, in Chester County, they fall into three basic categories described below.
FINANCIAL BARRIERS - which include the high cost of land and residential development, the lack of builder financing, and the high cost of housing relative to the income levels of those seeking housing.
REGULATORY BARRIERS - which include zoning provisions which limit land for affordable housing and limit flexible approaches to land development, excessive subdivision regulations, excessive construction standards, high impact fees and government processing delays.
SOCIAL BARRIERS - which include misperceptions of the affordable housing crisis, the "not in my backyard" or NIMBY syndrome, and the reluctance of elected local officials to risk supporting potentially unpopular affordable housing projects.
Over 57 million homes are believed to contain some lead-based paint. Of the 139,000 homes in Chester County, approximately 104,000 were built prior to 1978. This, along with the fact that several white lead factories were located in the region, lead to the possibility that up to 75% of the housing market could contain some lead-based paint.
To date, funding has been made available to screen children for high blood lead levels and also to do preliminary testing of home environments. However, very little funding has been made available to actually do lead abatement and lead hazard reduction. There is a high need for this type of activity and demand is expected to increase as more homes are found to contain high levels of lead-based paint. Funds need to be made available as grants or low interest loans for lead abatement and lead hazard reduction in order to protect families, but also to maintain the sparse supply of affordable homes.
For the purpose of obtaining broad-scale input on community development needs, a survey was developed and disseminated to all municipalities in Chester County, and to nonprofit organizations that have previously applied for CDBG funding. Meetings were also held with County departments, commissions and quasi-governmental entities responsible for community development projects or programs.
The information received was analyzed and the following categories of community development needs were identified.
As part of the consolidated plan, a general strategy was formulated to address the aforementioned needs. The strategy is premised on meeting three statutory goals for low and moderate income residents; 1) Provide decent housing, 2) Provide a suitable living environment, and 3) Expand economic opportunities.
Development of the housing and community development strategy necessitated translating the identified needs into general goals, and then identifying the types of activities that would address the goals. The overall goals are as follows:
Specific activities to be carried out to further the county's housing goals are as follows:
Specific activities to address homelessness are as follows:
Specific activities to be carried out to further the county's non-housing goals are as follows:
The strategy is accomplished through programs that deal specifically with those individuals and families below the poverty line, and through programs that take a comprehensive approach to raising families out of poverty.
The programs and projects dealing with emergency shelter operations, support and maintenance all are considered part of the anti-poverty strategy because these institutions are usually the first point of contact for those in dire need. The emphasis on providing supportive services, in conjunction with emergency shelter, is key to beginning to address the problems that first lead to poverty. Equally important is the provision of comprehensive case management, a necessary component of an overall plan to reduce poverty. Case management is provided through several agencies.
Homeowner rehabilitation and rent assistance for lower income residents are also part of the anti-poverty strategy. The provision of rent assistance is a project currently under development. The guidelines will be prepared during FY95 with actual implementation slated for FY96. The HOME program will be used to fund tenant-based rent assistance.
In addition to federal sources, Chester County receives assistance from various State programs, including: Housing and Community Development, Community Services Block Grant, Bridge Housing Program, Housing Assistance Program, Case Management Program, and Emergency Housing Program.
Numerous private resources supply funds including: William Penn Foundation, Lukens Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts, the Affordable Housing Program, and the Community Investment Program. Revenues from the County's Housing Trust Program also assist considerably.
The County of Chester Office of Housing and Community Development is the
lead agency in preparing and implementing the plan as it is directly responsible
for administering the major funding resources, specifically, HOME, CDBG and ESG
entitlement funds. The OHCD also administers several State and local grant
programs which complement the larger entitlement programs.
HOMELESS SHELTERS: The Safe Harbor Emergency Shelter has been in operation for the last three years, however, it has never been housed in a permanent facility. A grant application was submitted requesting PA-DCA Housing and Community Development funding for the acquisition and rehabilitation of a permanent facility. Of the $220,000 estimated project cost, $100,000 is proposed to be funded through the Chester County Housing Trust program. It is expected that this project will be implemented in FY95.
Another project to benefit the homeless which will be completed in 1995 is the lead abatement and accessibility rehabilitation of the Coatesville YWCA emergency shelter. This activity was initiated in 1994 and utilizing funding received through the PA-DCA Housing and Community Development program, multi-year CDBG funds and match provided by the Coatesville YWCA. The OHCD prepared the grant application and subcontracted the project to the YWCA for implementation.
TRANSITIONAL HOUSING: One of the largest projects with which the OHCD has been involved is the Liberty House acquisition and rehabilitation. The project is an adaptive re-use of an old military facility which will provide rental units for the special needs population. This project is funded through HOME and should be completed within the next year.
PERMANENT HOUSING: One of the largest projects to be funded this year is the Parkesburg School project which is the adaptive re-use of an historic school into elderly housing. The school was constructed in 1900 and is a focal point of the Parkesburg community. This project will create 35 units for low-income elderly. The HOME funds committed will be heavily leveraged.
Increasing homeownership opportunities is addressed through the Chester County First Time Homebuyers program, funded through HOME, PA-Department of Community Affairs, and the Housing Trust. The homeownership counseling component of is funded through CDBG. A tenant-based rent assistance program, funded through HOME, will be under development in 1995 for implementation FY96.
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.
MAP 5 depicts low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects; in addition: a table provides information about the project(s).
MAP 6 depicts neighborhood streets and proposed HUD funded projects, as described in the table under MAP 5.
