The two organizations that coordinate homelessness services and affordable housing development in Lancaster County have decided to create a comprehensive strategic plan.
Doing so will enhance their collective impact, the Lancaster County Redevelopment Authority and the Lancaster County Homelessness Coalition said in a statement Wednesday.
To kick things off, they are seeking a consultant to help with the project. A request for proposals with the details is available here.
The deadline to apply is Jan. 3. Authority and coalition staff will review submissions and hope to bring a recommendation to the authority’s board in late January, Executive Director Justin Eby said.
The redevelopment authority houses the coalition’s administrative office. Deb Jones serves as the coalition’s director and as director of the authority’s Department of Human Services.
A growing problem
Like much of the country, Lancaster County has seen substantial increases in housing costs and homelessness since the pandemic.
Local vacancy rates are exceptionally low, the coalition and authority noted in their announcement: Rental vacancies are at 3.2% and owner-occupied vacancies are just 0.6%. Nearly a quarter of county homeowners and half of renters are cost-burdened, paying more than 30% of their income on housing.
Homelessness, meanwhile, rose 13.5% in 2023 according to the county’s annual point-in-time count.
A steering committee of local stakeholders will be convened to guide the strategic planning process, Eby said. The committee will be eager to hear from service providers, government officials and the community, Commissioner Alice Yoder said: The goal is not to start from scratch, but to gather, share and build on existing knowledge, much of which up to now has remained fragmented and siloed.
Key elements of the plan, the coalition and authority said, are as follows:
- A thorough assessment of county economic, demographic and housing conditions and trends.
- A comprehensive evaluation of existing homelessness and housing programs and their effectiveness.
- A clear roadmap for implementation, including actionable goals, timelines and performance metrics.
- Meaningful stakeholder engagement, including service providers, community leaders and individuals with lived homelessness experience.
The housing component will feed into local conversations about zoning and building regulations that are already under way, Yoder said. Many local officials are aware that restrictive zoning is helping to drive housing scarcity, and they’re increasingly willing to talk about making some changes, she said.
“I am an optimist. … I think we can do this,” she said.
The authority has budgeted $150,000 for the plan. The money is being provided by local health systems and other donors.
The regular work of the coalition and authority will continue uninterrupted during while the plan is being developed, Eby said. The schedule calls for completing it by the end of September 2025, so implementation can begin in 2026.
