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BELLEFONTE -- The Centre County Housing Task Force looks to invest over $2 million in excess funds from the Emergency Rental Assistance Program to build rental housing for those who earn less than the county's median income. The task force is currently soliciting information on housing projects in Centre County that meet the eligibility guidelines of the program and are interested in partnering with the county in utilizing the remaining funds by the September 2025 deadline.
The Pennsylvania Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP1) was established by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 and expanded under the American Rescue Plan Act, commonly referred to as ERAP2. The program, created to help renters deal with financial challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, offers rental and utility assistance to help Pennsylvanians avoid eviction or loss of utility service.
ERAP2 includes a provision that earmarks the final 25 percent of funding allocated to counties to provide affordable rental housing or eviction prevention to low-income families. Director of Adult Services Faith Ryan, who serves on The Housing Task Force, cited the need for more affordable housing as the motivation behind the decision to invest in a development project as opposed to offering the funds to individuals for eviction prevention or returning the money.
Any project that the Housing Task Force pursues will need to meet certain qualifications and availability standards to be considered eligible. ERAP2 funds may be used for predevelopment, acquisition, construction and revitalization of rental housing units so long as they serve households at or below 50 percent area median income. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, in 2023 the area median income of a family of four in Centre County was $51,500.
"What's most important for the community to know is that any project that would be considered for ERAP 2 [funding] has to meet a lot of different criteria that are similar to other programs like the Housing Choice Voucher Program or HOME or DCED programs that are focusing on a certain income population of folks," said Faith Ryan
"If we do have any property developers out there that already have something sketched out on paper, maybe you already own the land, we're very interested. If we have an affordable housing group, Housing Transitions, the two land trusts in the county, Habitat for Humanity, [etc.], and they have the ability to use some large fraction of $2 million to really accelerate a project that they already have started or are about ready to start, I think that’s our target for this," said Commissioner Mark Higgins.
Because of the short turnaround required for the project, the task force is looking for groups with projects that are ready to hit the ground running.
"Even though timelines are pretty tight, we want the challenge because we know how much of a housing need we have in Centre County," said Ryan.
Since its implementation, the Emergency Rental Assistance Program has disbursed nearly $20 million in assistance, supporting over 3,000 households in the county and hundreds of landlords.
"There are families who were assisted, but there’s also 600 landlords who were able to keep a tenant in their rental unit and that's best for everybody," said Higgins.
For a period, the Centre County Office of Human Services distributed approximately $1 million a month in rental assistance to county residents, a number which has since dropped off significantly.
"Though we’re kind of limited now in how much time we have, I think we did a really huge service for the community to calm [housing insecurity] down and get people where they need to be before that program," said Ryan.
Interested parties may request Request For Information documents via email by contacting bbarndt@centrecountypa.gov.
At their meeting, commissioners also proclaimed May 2024 as Foster Care Awareness Month, encouraging residents of Centre County to consider how they can support children in foster care.
There are more than 60 adolescents in the care of Children and Youth Services living in foster homes around the county. However, in many instances, children who are candidates for foster care end up in different care facilities because of a lack of available homes.
In Centre County, there is a particular need for homes capable of caring for siblings and children older than age five. Taking in older children and sibling groups allows children to remain in their school and community and avoids separating siblings into multiple homes.
While there is still a need, fortunately, numerous individuals and families have opened their hearts and homes to these children, like Kate Kostohyrz, a foster parent in the county.
She shared that despite the intense emotions that come with fostering, the kindness of others shines through.
"My foster son and I would come every week for our visits -- the woman that helps to give us the badges loved on him, loved on me. The strangers, the caseworkers, my family, my friends. My mom was hiking in Patagonia and flew back early when I got the call. My neighbor walked over and brought a bunch of stuff. My friends gathered all the things, brought them over and went to Target the night that I got the call. So, people continue to show up," said Kostohyrz.
Kostohyrz said despite all the heartache, the decision to foster is one they would make again and again.
Anyone interested in learning more is encouraged to check out national and county resources for more information about how you can get involved.