Centre County Commissioners Approve Funding for Affordable Housing Projects

The Centre County County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday voted unanimously to approve $110,000 in funding from the Construction and Acquisition/Rehabilitation for Sustainable Housing (CASH) Program for affordable housing projects.

This is the third year of the CASH Program and with these awards it has supported 13 homes that serve individuals with a gross household income below 100% of the Area Median Income for Centre County, a figure that is adjusted annually by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Commissioners selected three agencies with four projects for this year’s CASH Program funding. 

State College Community Land Trust received $30,000 for the rehabilitation and preservation of two single-family homes in State College Borough.

Lorie Waters, real estate and stewardship coordinator for State College Community Land Trust, said that there is a real need for more affordable housing in State College.

“We see the need for affordable housing both in Centre County as a whole,” Lorie Waters, real estate and stewardship coordinator for State College Community Land Trust, stated. “And, in particular, in State College and the State College Borough.”

The funding will enable the land trust to do rehabilitation on two properties. One property that they plan rehabilitating is a new acquisition that will be purchased by the end of August. 

The rest of the funds will be used on another property that is already in the program but the homeowner died and did not leave a will or have any other family members, so the land trust will be repurchasing the home and using the remainder of the funds to rehabilitate it.

“It is a good opportunity for us to get in the property and do some energy-efficient upgrades to the home,” Waters said. “The home has been in the program since 2003 so it has been a while since we have been in the home to do upgrades.”

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Centre County will receive $25,000 toward building an energy-efficient single-family home in Centre Hall Borough. 

Stephanie Fost, the executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Centre County, explained the project to the county commissioners.

“This is our first project in Centre Hall Borough.” she said. “The homeowner was already selected at our March board meeting. Our homeowners have to do 350 hours of sweat equity towards their home. She started her hours in April and only has 186 hours left. She will finish her hours before the home is even done being constructed. She’s also getting to take part in the construction of her home, which is a special opportunity that not a lot of our homeowners get to have.”

The funds will be used for the basic construction of the home. 

For the final project, the HOME Foundation will receive $55,000 for the acquisition and rehabilitation of a single-family home to sell to a first-time home owner within State College Borough.

Ray Stolinas, the Centre County director of planning and community development, briefly went over this project.

HOME Foundation has acquired the property and will be using the CASH Program funding for rehab of the house. 

“It’s a very small starter home.” he said. “It’s in an area that is accessible to services, jobs and also transit so I thought it was an advantage to having that as a recommendation.”

All three projects will be kept as affordable homes even after their next owners move on.

The Affordable Housing Trust Fund is funded by money made available through Pennsylvania’s Act 137 of 1992, which allows counties to use fees charged for the recording of deeds and mortgages for affordable housing initiatives.