A new five-year plan is intended to help ensure all Reading residents have access to equitable employment and housing opportunities, according to officials.
The equity plan, developed by Scranton-based Hailstone Economic in collaboration with the city’s Community Development Department and Human Relations Commission, was introduced to City Council Monday at a committee-of-the-whole meeting.
Jessica Dreistadt, a senior adviser with Hailstone, said the plan identifies goals aimed at addressing community needs identified by the study.
These are:
• To improve the quality of sidewalks so they’re accessible to people with disabilities.
• To create more opportunities for city residents to access living-wage jobs.
• To improve the local transportation infrastructure.
• To invest in public services to improve the quality of life and create opportunities for low- to moderate-income residents.
• To create more units of affordable and accessible housing.
• To encourage more involvement and develop the capacity of nonprofit and for-profit developers to create affordable housing.
• To improve the quality of housing.
• To promote first-time homebuyer opportunities, particularly for people of color and Latino residents.
• To update the czoning ordinance to facilitate more equitable and affordable housing.
• To update policies and practices to facilitate fair, equitable and affordable housing opportunities.
• To improve rental property owners’ fair housing compliance and improve equity and rental housing opportunities.
• To improve residents’ knowledge about their housing rights and the resources available to them to resolve problems.
• To improve nonprofit organizations’ knowledge about the human relations ordinance and fair housing obligations to improve compliance.
The goals are based on information gathered during a process that included two hearings and five community meetings held in locations throughout the city.
There were interviews with stakeholder groups and representatives of community organizations as well as city staff, she said. A housing and community needs survey was distributed as well.
The group collected and analyzed data regarding employment and housing.
“Related to employment,” Dreistadt said, “we found that there were many areas that were highly residential and there was a lack of job opportunities.”
In one neighborhood, there were almost 80 workers for every job that was available there.
Countywide, there were about 4,200 new jobs created from 2000 to 2023, she said, but during that same period the population of Berks County increased by 53,000, including almost 13,000 in the city.
Dreistadt said people of color and Latinos have a higher unemployment rate.
“And also we found that more than half of workers who live in the city of Reading are Hispanic or Latino,” she said, “but only 21% of people who work in the city are Hispanic or Latino, which suggests that many Hispanic or Latino residents are needing to leave the city in order to pursue employment.”
Transportation is another issue raised in the report
More than 9% of homeowner households and more than 35% of renter households in the city do not have a vehicle, Dreistadt said, noting about 1 in 5 workers living in Reading rely on public transportation to get to work.
“We also found that residents’ housing choices are limited because of their transportation options,” she said. “They are choosing housing that is close to employment and services, which really limits where they’re able to live.”
There have been a lot of changes in the housing market between December 2019 and July 2023. During that period, the average market rent in the city increased more than 50%, she said.
“We heard from people in the community that it’s very difficult to find an apartment; it can take as long as 12 to 18 months,” Dreistadt said, noting a previous study found more than 5,000 units of housing are needed in the city.
She said more than half of city renters are cost burdened, meaning they pay more than 30% of their income toward housing expenses, and about 27% pay more than 50%.
Councilwoman Marcia Goodman-Hinnershitz said the findings are interesting but questioned how the information will be used.
“You have set some very ambitious goals,” she said. “Who is responsible for following through with the implementation of the goals?”
The overall responsibility of the plan falls under community development, Dreistadt said.
Several council members said they were not aware that the plan was underway and asked the administration to keep them updated on its implementation.
The plan is required by the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development and addresses the requirements of some state and local laws.
The plan is set to go into effect Jan. 1.
Source: Berkshire mont
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