Sussex Housing Group announces year-long initiative in Pinetown
The Sussex Housing Group, a committee of the Delaware Housing Coalition, recently launched a yearlong effort to work with the Pinetown Civic Association to bring increased resources and other improvements to the community.
Pinetown, near Lewes, was chosen from a number of proposals submitted by neighborhoods to a request for proposals issued by the Sussex Housing Group earlier this year. The RFP emphasized the need for resident involvement and community-identified needs and solutions. Pinetown was chosen because it is organized and has defined leadership; the residents are prepared to work together to improve their community; they have a vision for a better future; and the neighborhood is of a size that will serve as a good pilot project by showing a noticeable impact in one year.
The Sussex Housing Group will then choose another community and capitalize on the lessons learned in Pinetown, and the residents of Pinetown will offer technical assistance and peer support. Prentice Perry, civic association president, said "Pinetown is a historically black community with a vision of a better tomorrow. We vow to work with the Sussex Housing Group to bring in resources to create a better community that is self-sustaining."
The Sussex Housing Group comprises many organizations and agencies committed to working to improve housing and community conditions in the county. The core members include Cool Spring Civic Association, DCRAC, Delaware Housing Coalition, Delaware State Housing Authority, Discover Bank, First State Community Action Agency, Milford Housing Development Corporation, NCALL Research, Pathways to Success, Sussex County Habitat for Humanity, Sussex County Council Housing and Community Development, Sussex Unity and West Rehoboth Community Land Trust. Co-Chairs are Amy Walls, Discover Bank; Karen Kollias, NCALL; Patricia Kelleher, Delaware Housing Coaliton; and Kevin Gilmore, Sussex County Habitat for Humanity.
In fall 2014, the members decided to focus their various resources and programs on a specific community for a defined period of time to leverage maximum impact. The members each chose one specific goal, such as home repairs, installation of street lights and improvements to the community center, to accomplish during the 12-month period from June 2015 to June 2016.
Sussex has many housing gaps outlined in Delaware State Housing Authority's 2014 Housing Needs Assessment.
With significantly lower incomes and higher poverty rates than state averages, it is difficult to fund new housing construction to replace the aging housing stock.
Similarly, home values and rents are considerably lower than state averages, leading to a large number of homes in deteriorating condition and presenting market challenges to subsidizing new construction and even repair programs. It is common to find that the funds needed to repair a blighted home exceed the value of that home even after those repairs are made.
Rural housing typology means that mobile homes are an acceptable and more affordable alternative for many homeowners, and renters have the ability to rent single-family properties. These preferences will likely have an impact on demand for new development and should be factored into project-specific market analysis and future housing policies.
Finally, the fact that so many of the affordable rental homes are not subsidized, but rather are scattered as single-family homes or small communities within clusters along one-way roads means that many of the rental housing challenges are hidden from the public eye. This leads to potential fair housing violations. Community engagement and geographically focused housing strategies will likely be needed to address these problems.
"Sussex County has many housing gaps," said Kelleher, "but our group is dedicated, energetic and determined to effect change. We are sure that we will have excellent outcomes to report at the end of our commitment to Pinetown and its residents."
