THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED. New Castle County officials provided an update this week on the Family Housing Opportunities for Purposeful Empowerment (HOPE) Project, a major initiative aimed at reducing homelessness among vulnerable families. During a presentation to the County Council’s Community Services Committee on Tuesday, Michael Bowser, policy director for the county executive’s office, outlined recent progress in securing …
New Castle secures $11M in federal grants for Family Hope Project
NEW CASTLE- In a meeting on Tuesday, New Castle City Council discussed a federal grant following its approval in December. The funding, provided by the U.S. Treasury, will support the Family Hope Project, which aims to provide emergency shelter and long-term housing assistance for families. The project utilizes the Hope Center’s existing county programs and infrastructure, offering families an extended …
Funding woes jeopardize future of Georgetown pallet village
This story was originally published on Spotlight Delaware. Georgetown’s transitional housing pallet village is facing a funding shortfall, jeopardizing the project that houses 40 people experiencing homelessness in Sussex County. The village’s nonprofit operator, The Springboard Collaborative, was hoping to receive a $1.5 million grant this year from the Longwood Foundation, the Wilmington-based charitable grantmaking foundation linked to the du Pont family. …
Hearing on housing, homeless leads to promise of attention
A joint legislative hearing held by Delaware Senate and Housing committees Wednesday started picking threads out of the tangled wad of factors affecting affordable housing and homelessness in Delaware. The convening of the joint session was clearly a shot across the bow of the state political ship and a forerunner to more state, local and community action on the topics. …
If you’re looking for a rental home, you already know this
Delaware’s rental vacancy rate has fallen to the third lowest in the country, according to recently released U.S. Census Bureau data. The vacancy rate indicates the percentage of year-round rental units that are unoccupied at the end of each quarter. According to the Census Bureau, only 2.6% of Delaware’s year-round rental units were vacant at the end of June. Only …
Homeless bill of rights fails in committee
A bill to recognize certain rights of Delawareans facing homelessness failed in the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday after municipalities and landlords expressed concerns about potential unintended consequences. House Bill 235’s stated purpose is to ensure all individuals, regardless of housing status, have equal opportunity to live in decent, safe, sanitary, and healthful accommodations and enjoy equality of opportunities. The bill, …