The Lancaster County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (LCHRA) is requesting the public's assistance to help the organization best serve people experiencing housing insecurity.

As the lead agency of the Lancaster County Homelessness Coalition (LCHC), the LCHRA held a virtual meeting with stakeholders on May 21 to kick off the public participation portion of a county-wide initiative, the Lancaster County Housing and Homelessness Strategic Plan.

Lancaster County residents can play their part by completing a survey. "We want to get new data about best practices around homeless response and affordable housing and figure out what the needs are," said Jocelynn Naples, director of communications, development, and special projects for the LCHRA. "We want broad participation across municipalities, across business sectors. Our ideal would be for all county residents to fill the survey out. We know that's not possible, but we're trying to push it as widely as we can."

County residents can go to https://lchra.com to complete the survey, which will be available until approximately Thursday, Aug. 21. The questionnaire will also be publicized on the Facebook accounts for the Lancaster County Housing and Redevelopment Authority and the Lancaster County Homelessness Coalition.

The anonymous survey is composed of 12 questions, including information about the residents' demographics and household income.

"Our programs are income constrained, so (we need to know if) we are reaching the people that can access our programs and services," Naples said. "Or do we need to adjust our outreach strategy? We're really trying to make it representative across not only geography, but socioeconomic distribution as well."

Naples added, "It will really help us improve how we can reach out and provide services to the people who are in need of assistance and help us do what we're doing better across the county."

Justin Eby, who is the executive director of the LCHRA, stated the survey will likely reinforce some of the issues the group believes need to be addressed, in addition to making the LCHRA aware of other areas the group should be focusing on that are burdens to people's ability to have a roof over their head.

"The county is different as far as housing issues (are concerned)," said Eby. "We want to make sure that we can capture information on people's struggles, (such as) how to connect with services and the lack of a certain housing types. It will help inform us so we can have actual objectives and outcomes. We don't want to have a plan where we can't reach those goals."

Eby said the LCHC has been around for nearly two decades and moved to the LCHRA's Penn Square headquarters in 2021. The team works to help spearhead planning, funding, coordinating, and reporting on services to address homelessness.

The coalition is composed of more than 50 organizations in various forms, including housing programs, street outreach, and shelter provision.

The LCHRA asks that people who need assistance dial the United Way's 211 number or go to https://pa211east.org to find a service provider and be directed to resources based on location.

The LCHRA oversees housing choice voucher programs for county residents outside of Lancaster city, including a federal rental subsidy program. Eby said a total of 810 individuals or families are getting this help from the program, which includes assistance for youths and veterans.

Eby explained that vouchers are a rental assistance program. "We make sure someone is not paying more than 30 or 40% of their income on rent and utilities," he said. "We also cover the gap in rent for an individual if he or she is on a fixed income." The vouchers ensure landlords are getting paid, and units are inspected to ensure safety issues are addressed.

LCHRA is working through a waiting list and is currently not accepting applications. Eby estimated that the group will be able to resume taking applications in 18 to 24 months.

LCHRA operates a home repair program through the Department of Housing and Human Development. The program is for income-qualified homeowners who need to make safety and security repairs to their residences, and it provides up to $25,000 to pay for work, including new roofs, electrical upgrades, and fixes for water and sewer issues.

For more information about the home repair program, email Rebeca Santos at rsantos@lchra.com.