The city of Lancaster, located about 65 miles west of Philadelphia in southeastern Pennsylvania, is the county seat of Lancaster County. First settled in 1721, the city is the commercial center of a rich agricultural region. The city was Pennsylvania's capital from 1799 to 1812. Lancaster is the home of Franklin and Marshall College.
In its Consolidated Plan, Lancaster describes its housing and community development needs and priorities, and a 5-year strategy for addressing these needs using Federal and other resources. For the first year of the plan, Lancaster is requesting $2,443,000 in Federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, $567,000 in HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME) funding, and an $81,000 Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG). This money will be used to finance the 40 housing, community development, and service activities planned for fiscal year 1995-1996.
Following a series of meetings with social service agencies and grant subrecipients, the city held two public hearings on the Consolidated Plan. The first, on January 5, 1995, solicited citizens' views on neighborhood housing and community development needs. On March 15, a second hearing gave citizens the opportunity to review a proposed plan. After a 30-day public comment period, the Consolidated Plan was approved by the Lancaster City Council on April 25, 1995. Later in the year, a third public hearing will allow residents the chance to review program performance.
MAP 1 depicts points of interest in the jurisdiction.
Lancaster's population in 1990 was 55,551. This was a 1.5 percent increase from 1980, in contrast to most small cities in Pennsylvania where populations decreased during the decade.
Median family income (MFI) for Lancaster in 1990 was $27,002. Per capita income was $10,693 compared to $14,235 in Lancaster County as a whole.
Much of the city's public service needs relate to the socioeconomic characteristics of its population. According to 1990 census data, 58 percent of Lancaster's population had low to moderate incomes, or under 80 percent of MFI. The following indicators in 1990, all showing increases over 1980, are cause for concern:
The increasing diversity of Lancaster's population has major impacts on public service needs. The city's minority population, especially Latinos (Hispanics), increased notably from 1960 to 1990. Percentages of African Americans and Latinos in Lancaster's population, from census data, for 1960 to 1990 are:
1960 1970 1980 1990
In January 1995 Lancaster's unemployment rate was 7.5 percent, compared to the county rate of 4.8 percent.
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.
Most housing units in Lancaster were constructed before 1940. Because the city is essentially built up, Lancaster's housing strategy focuses on the preservation of existing affordable housing through rehabilitation and maintenance.
The primary need is rehabilitation of the city's existing housing stock, especially substandard units. Without adequate maintenance, units now in adequate condition eventually will also deteriorate to the point where major investment will be necessary.
In some instances, new in-fill construction is the logical alternative for small vacant parcels of land in city neighborhoods. The Lancaster County Planning Commission's growth management plan envisions a 7 percent growth in city population by the year 2000 through such in-fill housing construction and the conversion of vacant nonresidential buildings to housing.
In 1990, Lancaster's housing inventory included 23,343 units, 21,289 of which were occupied. Of the housing stock, most (51 percent) are row homes, 24 percent are semidetached, and 12 percent are detached single-family homes. Two-family residences make up 5 percent of the housing stock and multifamily apartments, 8 percent.
Lancaster is an old city, with 63 percent of its housing built before 1940, and about 25 percent between 1940 and 1970. As in other urban areas, this means that many aging mechanical and structural systems have already exceeded their useful life. The Bureau of Housing and Structural Inspections estimates that about 3 percent of all properties in the city (700 units) are in substandard condition. Substandard means not meeting the minimum requirements of Lancaster's housing code and HUD's Section 8 Housing Quality Standards, with the cost of correcting violations in excess of $1,000. Of the 700, all but 20 are suitable for rehabilitation.
The current homeownership rate is 47 percent. The remaining 53 percent of Lancaster households are renters.
The median value of owner-occupied housing was $59,200, according to the 1990 census. Fewer than 20 percent of owner-occupied units were valued more than $100,000. In Lancaster County, the median value of owner-occupied housing was $89,400, and for Pennsylvania, $69,700. For 1992, according to the Lancaster County Association of Realtors, the average sales price of homes in the city was $65,300.
For rental housing, the median rent in 1990 was $329 a month, up 100 percent from the 1980 median monthly rent of $164.
A large proportion of lower-income households are cost-burdened, paying more than 30 percent of their gross income for their housing, including utilities. Some are severely cost burdened, paying more than 50 percent of their income for housing expenses.
Of Lancaster's 5,483 extremely low-income (0-30 percent MFI) renter households, 74 percent are cost-burdened and 55 percent severely cost-burdened. Of 2,427 low-income (31-50 percent MFI) renter households, 67 percent are cost-burdened, with 17 percent severely cost-burdened.
An April 11, 1994, 1-day point-in-time survey, conducted by the Interagency Council for the Homeless in Lancaster, found a total of 469 persons in the city and county. This included 73 families with 190 members, and 279 individuals over age 18 who were not in a family. No unaccompanied homeless youths were found.
All those counted were provided for in emergency shelters or transitional housing.
Major subpopulations of the sheltered homeless with special needs are as follows:
There is also an unknown number of unsheltered homeless persons living on the street. Indications are that this population can be characterized as single males with a history of mental illness. Two years ago, the County Mental Health Case Management Unit survey indicated there were 41 persons with a diagnosable mental illness with no permanent address.
Needed for the homeless population are comprehensive counseling, supportive services, and training in life skills such as money management and tenants' rights and responsibilities. Several types of homeless (including victims of domestic violence) also need transitional housing for longer periods than permitted with emergency shelters. Additional funding for long-term rental subsidies is also needed; a primary cause of homelessness is the limited income or earning capacity of the heads of household, particularly for single-parent households and victims of domestic violence with dependent children.
Lancaster acts as a regional service provider, attracting homeless persons and families from the county at large as well as from outside the county. They come in search of shelter and supportive services not available in rural or suburban areas.
The Lancaster City Housing Authority (LCHA) has 497 habitable housing units, the only public housing in the county. The units usually have 100 percent occupancy. About 46 percent of these units are elderly housing. Another 64 scattered-site units are vacant. These are being renovated with funding from HUD's Comprehensive Improvement Assistance Program, and should be ready for occupancy by mid-1995.
LCHA also administers a Section 8 rental assistance program with 790 certificates and vouchers in use. Under HUD portability rules, households qualified to receive Section 8 certificates may move to another area and continue to receive assistance. LCHA notes that 45 families using Section 8 certificates recently moved to Lancaster from other jurisdictions, including 15 from outside Lancaster County.
Including public housing and Section 8 existing housing certificates and vouchers, there are 2,209 assisted rental units in the city of Lancaster. The total includes units with Section 8 assistance under HUD moderate and substantial rehabilitation programs, and units in projects with other forms of assistance such as below-market rate mortgages.
The city has examined potential barriers to affordable housing in Lancaster and determined that the generally cited causes (zoning limitations, building code) are not the primary barriers. The barriers are more intangible, such as individual credit problems, access to credit, prevailing interest rates, and insufficient resources for downpayments and closing costs. The recent banking consolidation has curtailed the rate of lending over the past two years.
Lancaster is the primary location of less expensive housing in the county, with a housing stock affordable to most income levels. However, there are still families unable to afford either homeownership or rental housing, especially households with incomes of less than 30 percent of the median.
Four categories of conditions are the primary limits on the choice of housing-protected classes in Lancaster. These are:
Lead poisoning is a serious health hazard for small children. The most common source of lead exposure for children is lead-based paint (LBP). LBP was banned for use in residential structures in 1979. Based upon the age of the structures, it is estimated that 15,308 of Lancaster's housing units occupied by lower-income residents contain LBP. The City has identified 231 cases of elevated blood level in children since 1992.
There are also housing and supportive service needs for the elderly, mentally disabled, and physically disabled.
Public safety was recognized as the most pressing community need during the 3-year citizen-based process that developed the city's comprehensive plan. Pennsylvania's 1993 Uniform Crime Report indicated Lancaster City had the fourth highest crime rate in the state, behind only Chester, Harrisburg, and Reading. The overall rate dropped in 1993 for the first time in 6 years after a Community Policing Program was initiated in 1992. Related to reducing crime is the need to provide constructive activities for youths to reduce gang involvement and criminal and violent behavior.
There is a need to reconstruct or replace the city's aging infrastructure. There is a need to revitalize the city's economy with a variety of economic development measures. There is a need to expand and improve public facilities such as parks, playgrounds, and community centers; and there are statutory handicapped accessibility requirements to complete for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Lancaster's basic goals and objectives are to:
The principal housing strategy is to encourage reinvestment in Lancaster's existing housing stock. The 5-year strategy seeks to preserve the existing housing stock and develop new programs to promote homeownership.
Rehabilitation of existing housing units is a priority. Of equal importance is the maintenance of existing housing that is currently in good condition to prevent its deterioration. To help lower income homeowners maintain their properties, loans and grants through the Homeowner Rehabilitation Program are to be increased over the next 5 years.
Citizen input into the Consolidated Plan made clear the importance of homeownership. Higher priority is given to assisting homeowners and increasing the number of homeowners. The city does not support homeownership assistance for persons with incomes below 30 percent of MFI because serious repairs and routine maintenance expenses are often beyond the financial means of very low-income families.
Because the majority of housing in Lancaster is already rental housing and the community has expressed a strong preference for homeownership, the city has assigned a lower priority to assisting renters. It is anticipated that 25 households a year for the next 5 years will be assisted with Section 8 certificates or vouchers. Another four rental units a year are expected to be assisted through proceeds from the now unfunded Rental Rehabilitation Program.
For the homeless, the strategy is to assist Lancaster's six shelters in offering essential services, such as case management, and to continue to help emergency shelters keep their doors open. The city hopes to work with a nonprofit agency during the next 5 years to develop needed transitional housing specifically for victims of domestic violence.
The largest need for permanent affordable housing is in the other 59 municipalities in Lancaster County. The county housing plan calls for "fair share" housing allocations, and the city is supportive of this plan. Through this method, municipalities will be able to address the housing needs of their own communities, thus reducing the need for the homeless to come to the city of Lancaster to compete for affordable housing units.
Public safety is the highest nonhousing priority in the 5-year strategy, and it is related to Lancaster's goal of providing a suitable living environment. During the citizen-based planning process for the city's comprehensive plan, public safety was the number one concern. Four related priority issues were identified: drug use and drug-related crimes, police protection, youth gangs and violence, and street lighting. It is estimated that at least 65 percent of crimes committed in Lancaster are drug-related in varying degrees. The use of CDBG funds for extra police patrols in high-crime neighborhoods is a community priority.
Youth gangs and violence are a growing problem. At least 50 percent of the children in the School District of Lancaster live in single-parent households, and many have a life conducive to gang involvement. Priority is given to providing recreational and educational opportunities that offer the esteem, support, and sense of belonging that youths seek from gangs.
Long-term economic development objectives include:
Other community development objectives include:
Lancaster's strategy to reduce the number of persons living below the poverty level includes elements of the city's housing, economic development, and public/human services goals and activities.
Resources available to implement the strategic plan include an estimated CDBG funding of $10 million or more over the 5-year period, plus HOME and ESG funds. A variety of other Federal, State, and county programs, as well as local general revenues, will be used. State sources include pass-through ESG funding ($151,131 for 1995) in addition to a direct shelter grant from HUD.
Critical to the success of the 5-year plan is the involvement of the nonprofit housing and social services organizations providing assistance to Lancaster's lower-income residents. The city applies for Federal and State funding on behalf of these organizations, and supports their applications for grants from other sources.
The city of Lancaster Department of Housing and Community Development is the lead agency for coordination of the Consolidated Plan. The Department of Economic Development is responsible for the coordination and implementation of the economic development program.
All subrecipient organizations are included in the planning process for the Consolidated Plan. They have been made aware of the need for effective coordination among agencies in order to address priority needs with the funds available. The city in recent years has required all of its subrecipients to attend quarterly training sessions so that they will be able to comply with the many administrative and programmatic responsibilities linked to the receipt of Federal funds.
Lancaster has a thorough "Grantee Monitoring and Performance Reporting Plan" to track all Consolidated Plan activities by subrecipients on both performance and fiscal bases. The purpose is to help with the assessment and evaluation of these programs for future allocations, and to provide an "early warning system" for the Department of Housing and Community Development.
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).
For the program year 1995-1996, the city of Lancaster plans to use $3.09 million in CDBG, HOME, ESG, and program income funds for 40 activities to address specific housing, community development, and human services needs.
Allocations for housing include:
Planned community development activities include:
Economic development activities budgeted for 1995 include:
For human services programs, Lancaster's action plan allots $481,302 for 15 activities, most conducted by nonprofit service providers. A sampling includes:
Activities included in the 1995 Action Plan will be performed at more than two dozen locations in Lancaster. They include the offices and facilities of subrecipient organizations; neighborhood community centers; and other sites such as church meeting rooms used by the general community, parks, and public facilities including city office buildings, and the sites where construction and rehabilitation work is to take place.
Housing activities included in this year's Action Plan are expected to result in 43 new or rehabilitated affordable housing units. It is projected that other planned activities will benefit 55 households, 465 families, and 27,568 persons (including 1,300 elderly persons and 2,600 youths).
