NORRISTOWN — A new website offering affordable housing data and resources has been launched as Montgomery County continues to grapple with a housing crisis.
The website is geared toward area residents, businesses, municipal leaders, and housing developers as its contents offer relevant information and toolkits online. The Homes for All website aims to bring stakeholders together on the issue of affordable housing.
“As the cost of housing continues to increase at a rapid rate and incomes stagnate, people at all stages of life in Montgomery County find it nearly impossible to purchase, maintain, and stay in homes that support their families and their futures,” Montgomery County Commissioners’ Vice Chairman Neil Makhija said in a statement. “Homes for All promotes the groundwork to increase affordable housing in Montgomery County so that we can provide a better quality of life for all demographics.”
The Homes for All digital initiative was created in conjunction with several county agencies, including Montgomery County’s Commerce and Health and Human Services departments, the Office of Housing and Community Development and the Planning Commission.
County officials organized an affordable housing summit under the umbrella of the Homes for All programming in April where more than 100 people attended.
As of April 2024, the median sales price for a house in Montgomery County was $450,000 and $1,886 per month to rent a two-bedroom apartment, according to a county spokesperson.
Figures from a February conference hosted by the HealthSpark Foundation revealed that 20% of Montgomery County homeowners are considered “cost-burdened,” while 47% of renters pay more than 30% of their income to rent.
Around 74,000 households “live above the poverty line but below what it actually costs to live in Montgomery County,” HealthSpark CEO Emma Hertz said during the Feb. 12 conference, noting those making between $45,000 and $75,000 are considered the “largest growing cohort of housing unstable families.” All while evictions remain on the rise, with 22 per day reported in Montgomery County — the third highest eviction rate in Pennsylvania.
Statistics from a 2023 National Low Income Housing Coalition report revealed people would need to make $28.27 per hour in order to afford a two-bedroom apartment rated at “fair market rent.” A county spokesperson specified the U.S. The Department of Housing and Urban Development classified the market rate for the region encompassing Montgomery County as $1,470 per month, lower than the aforementioned figures.
“Housing is necessary to provide the opportunity for the educational, civic, economic, and social empowerment of all Montgomery County residents,” Montgomery County Commissioners’ Chairwoman Jamila Winder said in a statement. “However, affordable homes are increasingly out of reach for county residents of all income levels and backgrounds. Housing costs are rising faster than wages, and the new Homes for All website offers a framework for community members and stakeholders to take action that allows people to live closer to their jobs.”
Montgomery County Commissioner Tom DiBello agreed, stressing the need to find solutions to the local housing problem.
“By having a common pathway forward to address affordable housing opportunities in the county there will be benefits for all of us,” DiBello said in a statement. “When people have stable housing in commutable neighborhoods we see a variety of effects: stronger family units, more involved community members, a robust local economy, and less traffic.”
Visit homesforallmontco.org for more information.
