Several Bucks County organizations were announced as recipients of a new round of funding for housing programs, made available through the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement fund. A total of $44.9 million was awarded for fiscal year 2020-21 to 223 housing and community development initiatives in 67 counties. The PHARE fund is managed by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency.
Recipients in Bucks County include the following:
$20,000 to Housing Counseling Program, Bucks County Housing Group, Inc.: BCHG will use PHARE funding to sustain the three positions currently funded through PHARE – two housing counselors and one part-time intake specialist
$200,000 to Housing Opportunities for Reentry Population, Bucks County Opportunity Council, Inc.: The HORP program will provide housing and supportive services for recently incarcerated individuals who are eligible for parole but who lack a permanent address, as well as for reentrants who are unstably housed and/or homeless; this program will allow these individuals to receive coordinated services to move forward toward self-sufficiency, receive needed treatment and obtain permanent housing
$350,000 to Strengthening Homeless Services, Housing Services Department: Strengthening Homeless Services proposes to continue to support bedrock housing solutions for homelessness while introducing innovative solutions with the goal of better response to pandemic-caused housing insecurity, increasing affordable housing options for the homeless and providing effective interventions to improve flow within the homeless services system; Bucks County Housing Services is seeking PHARE funds to continue to support bedrock housing solutions such as Rapid Rehousing while introducing solutions to keep the system growing, including Shared Housing, an innovative solution delayed due to COVID-19, as well as landlord bonuses
$100,000 to Habitat Bucks Home Repair Program, Habitat for Humanity Bucks County: This program partners with low-income homeowners in Bucks County to repair or modify the home to make it safe and accessible for everyone living in the home; without these repairs, homeowners and residents are at risk for illness and injuries which can affect their long-term health and quality of life; affordable repairs allow homeowners to maintain the value of their home and reduce potential neighborhood blight
$200,000 to Housing and Supportive Services for Victims of Human Trafficking, YWCA of Bucks County: YWCA, in partnership with the Housing Department, A Woman’s Place, NOVA and Worthwhile Wear, will address the complex needs of human trafficking victims through a comprehensive system focused on housing and specialized services; the goal of the program is to expand capacity to serve victims, strengthen connections to housing and victim-centered services, educate/train the community about human trafficking, and reduce barriers that prevent victims from being permanently housed
“Over the last nine years, the PHARE program has proven to be popular because local organizations and leaders determine how best to spend the funds to address their housing needs,” said Gov. Tom Wolf. “The funding may come from Harrisburg, but its application to improve housing is driven locally, which is why it is so effective.”
Funding for PHARE awards comes from two main sources. Since 2012, the program has received a portion of the impact fees collected from natural gas companies operating in the state with the goal of addressing the housing shortage caused by the impact of drilling. That is supplemented with funding provided by a portion of the realty transfer tax. The PHARE fund is often referred to as the state’s Housing Trust Fund.
“What I find most impressive about PHARE is the wide variety of ways the funding is used to address local housing challenges,” said PHFA executive director and CEO Robin Wiessmann. “The recipients of PHARE funding in each county know their housing needs best, so they direct the money to address pressing housing concerns in ways that will do the most good.”
