NEWS INFORMATION FROM

THE OFFICE OF MAYOR STEPHEN R. REED
City of Harrisburg
King City Government Center
Harrisburg, PA 17101-1678
Telephone: 717.255.3040

FOR IMMEDIATE USE
8 March 2004

MAYOR ANNOUNCES WAVE OF CITY NEIGHORHOOD IMPROVEMENT WORK, INCLUDING ‘CHRISTMAS IN APRIL’ HOUSING PROGRAM ALLOCATION

Harrisburg, PA—Mayor Stephen R. Reed today announced a wave of neighborhood redevelopment and improvement projects that are being undertaken citywide, including the allocation of city funds to the “Christmas In April” housing program which benefits elderly and low-income residents. The work, involving everything from new homeowner-occupied structure rehabilitation to basic systems improvements and lead paint abatement, is occurring in every city neighborhood.

Reed said the work is just a snapshot of the type of renewal work underway in city neighborhoods, where the vast majority of city resources are reinvested back into the community, rather than concentrated in downtown as some deliberately try to mislead citizens into believing.

Since the inception of the city’s concerted housing renewal programs in 1982, over 5,000 residential units have been newly built or restored under city funding or city-sponsored projects, making the City of Harrisburg prospectively the largest residential developer in Central Pennsylvania.

“The overwhelming majority of city tax and public dollars and city government resources go into our neighborhoods,” said Mayor Reed, “where we have spent literally hundreds of millions of dollars during the current era. Property by property, block by block, we are rebuilding Harrisburg’s housing stock and sustaining the value of our properties through these and many other support programs and activities.”

The Mayor also noted that the City recently provided a $4,000 grant to the successful “Christmas In April” housing rehabilitation program, which assists low-income elderly residents with needed home repairs. The charitable program enables fixed and low income residents to get essential repairs to basic systems, roofs and other key building infrastructure thus preventing blight and allowing for continued owner-occupancy.

Reed said other highlights of city-funded or initiated work include: HomeOwnership Opportunity Program—One of the Mayor’s major city housing renewal initiatives in which the city obtains titles to abandoned and blighted properties and then sees to their extensive rehabilitation and upgrade to current city codes. The properties are then sold at market rate to interested owner-occupants, many of whom are first time homebuyers. Work is currently underway on:

• South Allison Hill, where four houses are in various stages of rehab, including three by the Tri-County Housing Development Corporation
• Central Allison Hill/Summit Terrace—where work is now underway on three properties, including two by Habitat for Humanity, who are also renovating their new headquarters at N. 13th and Walnut Streets.
• Uptown—Ten homes are currently being prepared for resale to new homeowners, including three that are being undertaken by the Wesley Union Community Development Corporation.

Home Improvement Program—Designed by the Mayor to prevent blight and maintain the quality of our housing stock for low-income and elderly homeowners, the program provides grant funding for the repairs and upgrades of basic home systems, such as plumbing, electrical, heating and roof work. A key goal of the program is to help program participants stay in their homes, with all the essential structural systems in compliance with contemporary building and fire safety codes. HIP projects are currently underway at:

• South Allison Hill—Twenty-two homeowners are currently receiving assistance through the program.
• Central Allison Hill/Summit Terrace—Eleven homeowners are currently receiving assistance.
• Uptown—Eight homeowners currently have work underway.

Section 8 Lead-Paint Hazard Control—Provides funding for the mitigation of lead paint hazards in residential structures, and a temporary ‘safe house’ for the tenants of the affected properties while work is underway. Lead paint removal and safety work is currently underway on fourteen properties located around the city. All of the properties house children under the age of six, who are the most vulnerable to lead paint poisoning.

Façade Improvement Program—Provides free grants to eligible property owners for façade improvements and upgrades, including new doors and entranceways, porches, drainspouting and more. The work primarily benefits elderly and low-income owner-occupants.

“This is just a small sampling of the extensive neighborhood rehabilitation and investment work by city government underway at any given time in Harrisburg,” said the Mayor.“Coupled with such major housing renewal initiatives as the MarketPlace Townhomes, the Capital Heights Townhomes, the refurbishments and upgrades to the Maclay Street Apartments, and renovation work on Allison Hill, literally hundreds of homes are being built or renovated over the next two years.

For information on these and other city housing renewal and owner occupancy initiatives, please contact the Harrisburg Department of Building and Housing Development at (717) 255.6480.

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