Gov. John Carney outlined his proposal for a nearly $5.5 billion 2024 operating budget on Thursday, debuting new plans for tax relief and investments in housing and early childhood education.
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According to a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Delaware’s Joseph R. Biden School of Public Policy & Administration, the impact of substandard housing on health and the need for critical home repairs in low-income, owner-occupied homes in Delaware is clear. Delaware’s Habitat for Humanity affiliates collaborated for a joint press conference to announce findings from a new statewide needs assessment for repairs to low-income owner-occupied housing in Delaware. The research was funded by a Delaware Community Foundation grant.
Studies reveal that individual hardships among low-income homeowners tend to be concentrated geographically in declining or distressed areas. This means low-income residential areas with elevated levels of homeownership are likely to contain many households that would benefit from assistance with home repairs, and such assistance would benefit not only individual households, but also uplift the quality of entire neighborhoods and communities. To read the full study, go to sussexcountyhabitat.org.
Buying a home in Delaware seems out of reach for many residents.
With rents skyrocketing, finding an affordable place to live in the communities many have long called home seems more challenging than ever.
Pandemic financial woes combined with a hot real estate market fueled by a steady flow of newcomers compound Delaware’s housing affordability crisis. Many people simply do not make enough money to afford adequate housing in Delaware.
How much is enough money? The federal Housing and Urban Development agency says you should not be spending more than 30% of your income on housing costs and utilities.
Statewide, annual household incomes range from about $45,000 to $66,000 depending on your race and ethnicity, according to a JPMorgan Chase and Prosperity Now report.
New Castle County Council unanimously approved over $5 million for various affordable housing projects in Wilmington Tuesday night.
Habitat for Humanity will receive $200,000, the Ministry of Caring $150,000, and Wilmington Neighborhood Conservancy $500,000 to assist with affordable housing development. Council also voted to give $3 million to developer Setting Properties Inc. and $1,352,000 to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Sponsor of the resolutions Councilmember Penrose Hollins says many of these projects are in the City of Wilmington, and there’s a reason for that.
“I’m trying to get Wilmington to be more creative in creating homeownership programs that are not dependent on federal dollars,” Hollins says. “So the way I started in New Castle County because I recognized that we weren’t getting enough federal dollars to take care of the need. That’s why I created inclusionary zoning. That’s why I created a Housing Trust Fund.”
Funding supports neighborhood revitalization on the Eastside of Wilmington
WILMINGTON, DE – November 30, 2022– Through the Wells Fargo Builds program, Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County (HFHNCC) received a $35,000 grant to support low-income families by building affordable homes, providing critical repairs to preserve homeownership and organizing neighborhood revitalization projects. HFHNCC is one of more than 230 Habitat for Humanity affiliates awarded a grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation as part of its nationwide initiative to help create more than 350 affordable homes across the U.S.
This month, Wells Fargo employees volunteered on the Eastside of Wilmington to clean up area parks and parking lots and installed: 31 smoke detectors, 33 ring doorbells, 32 motion detector lights, and 36 flower boxes.
“As homeownership remains out of reach for too many families, we’re proud of our long-standing work with Habitat for Humanity – both here in New Castle and nationally – to increase the supply of affordable homes,” said Stephen Briggs, Vice President of Community Relations for Wells Fargo. “Volunteering with Habitat has always been a huge source of pride for our employees, and we’re excited to put on our hard hats to help families start a new journey in their lives as homeowners – a key part to building intergenerational wealth.”
Program Provides $200,000 in Flexible Funding to Each Organization and Leadership Development Training to Advance Economic Mobility in Delaware
Wilmington, DE – Programs and services addressing Delaware workforce development and economic mobility are helping more people chart a path toward economic opportunity with the help from a multi-year grant from Bank of America. Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County (HFHNCC) and TeenSHARP have been named as the 2022 Bank of America Neighborhood Builders® awardees for their work in the Delaware community removing economic barriers and advancing economic opportunity.
Each organization receives a $200,000 grant over two years, comprehensive leadership training for the executive director, and an emerging leader on topics ranging from increasing financial sustainability, human capital management, and strategic storytelling. Awardees also join a network of peer organizations across the U.S. and get the opportunity to access capital to expand their impact. The program continues to be the nation’s largest investment in nonprofit leadership development.
Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County is committed to changing lives and landscapes by revitalizing neighborhoods and empowering the families they serve. The organization, best known for providing zero percent interest mortgages for hard-working low-income, first-time homebuyers, empowers New Castle County residents to improve their communities, creates affordable and sustainable homeownership, and reduces the cost of homes. They will use the grant funding to support programs that address the critical need for affordable housing in New Castle County and support their overall day-to-day operations.
[read the full Bank of America press release]
Substandard housing and repair costs have a clear link to housing affordability – and health – according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Delaware
The Delaware Community Foundation funded the study on behalf of Habitat for Humanity in all three Delaware counties. New Castle County Habitat for Humanity CEO Kevin Smith said identifying and fixing a variety of repairs can help people of lower incomes as well as senior citizens stay in their homes and avoid having to find other, more costly housing or going to the rental market.
“It’s more effective to provide repair services and keep somebody in their home than necessarily to build a new house. We’re still doing that, but we want to try to find all the different partners who link up with health and energy efficiency and resiliency to provide these repairs,” Smith said.
Smith and other Habitat leaders hope to utilize these findings to demonstrate the need for more funding for these and other home repair programs. The study also examined various socio-economic factors that create housing affordability challenges and made a series of recommendations.
