Pennsylvania’s social work hotline received 1,589 service requests in the 17013 zip code between Nov. 1, 2023, and the end of October.
Of these, 68% had to do with housing and shelter. The next highest category: Other, accounting for 5.9% of requests.
These numbers illustrate an already recognized problem in Carlisle and beyond — housing.
On Tuesday, a panel of Cumberland County representatives addressed the topic during the Carlisle Area Chamber of Commerce’s State of Carlisle: Tackling the Housing Crisis event.
Panelists were United Way of Carlisle & Cumberland County Executive Director Cate Mellen, Housing and Redevelopment Authorities of Cumberland County Executive Director Mary Kuna and Safe Harbour President & CEO Scott Shewell. Cumberland County Director of Planning Kirk Stoner moderated the discussion.
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Statistics
All three panelists pointed to recent local housing statistics.
According to data from earlier this month, Cumberland County’s coordinated entry community queue consists of 246 households, including 411 people, waiting for housing services. Of these, 123 households or 50% are unsheltered, Shewell said, adding that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development does not define couch surfing or staying in a hotel as homeless.
Mellen pointed to ALICE families, an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.
United Way of Carlisle & Cumberland County Executive Director Cate Mellen participates in a panel discussion during Carlisle Area Chamber of Commerce’s State of Carlisle: Tackling the Housing Crisis event at Comfort Suites Downtown Tuesday morning.
“It’s really … households that are employed,” she said. “They’re earning more than the federal poverty level, but they’re not earning enough to cover [a] basic household budget to afford the basic cost of living where they are.”
According to 2022 data, 37% of Cumberland County households fell below the ALICE threshold, and 57% of Carlisle households qualified as ALICE families, Mellen said.
Challenges
One factor that could contribute to housing needs is population growth.
Mellen said Carlisle saw an 11.1% population increase between 2020 and July of 2023, accounting for an additional 2,226 people. Cumberland County also ranks among the fastest growing counties in the state, recently losing a first place position to northeastern Pike County.
Another challenge: funding.
“With homelessness, there is not enough money,” Kuna said. “There’s not enough federal money out there, there really isn’t, and the truth is, it’s very difficult to use.”
Housing and Redevelopment Authorities of Cumberland County Executive Director Mary Kuna, center, participates in a panel discussion during Carlisle Area Chamber of Commerce’s State of Carlisle: Tackling the Housing Crisis event at Comfort Suites Downtown Tuesday morning.
Aside from homelessness, she said renters and homeowners also face difficulties, from limited land and inventory to regulatory hurdles.
“It’s very difficult for those people who are HUD section eight or low income to move to that next step, because those landlords are requiring more and more,” Shewell said.
Many require income three or four times the monthly rent, specific credit scores and no prior evictions.
Stoner pointed to extreme competition, rising construction costs and lagging wage growth as other hurdles.
“The cost is outpacing our ability to afford new housing,” he said. “So the challenge is not for the weak at heart. Clearly, we have an uphill battle for housing today.”
However, panelists also brought solutions to the table.
Kuna said the Housing and Redevelopment Authorities of Cumberland County is engaging with developers, contractors and landlords to help ease regulatory fears.
Another option could be zoning changes. Mellen, who is also a member of the Carlisle Borough Council, said the borough’s Land Use Reform Subcommittee is working on recommendations that could allow accessory dwelling units to function as apartments.
Shewell highlighted several Safe Harbour projects that could add dozens of housing units.
Safe Harbour President and CEO Scott Shewell participates in a panel discussion during Carlisle Area Chamber of Commerce’s State of Carlisle: Tackling the Housing Crisis event at Comfort Suites Downtown Tuesday morning.
Harbour Village is wrapping up construction in neighboring South Middleton Township, with move-in to begin later this year. The development will feature 40 housing units designed for those who make varying percentages of Carlisle’s area median income, including units designed for people with physical or mental disabilities.
Shewell said applications for the units opened in August and the organization received more than 400 applications by the end of October.
In downtown Carlisle, work is ongoing on Harbour House, an East High Street building that will be converted into three affordable housing units. Also on the horizon is the renovation of Carlisle Opportunity Homes, which has 27 single-family homes transitioning to Safe Harbour ownership.
“It’s a great start, but it’s not the end of it,” Shewell said. “It’s just the beginning, and we intend to add a lot more.”
Homelessness remains on the rise in the U.S.In fact, it has been on the rise since 2017, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness. While signs of an increase are most present in major cities, many suburban communities are seeing increases too.Affluent suburbs impactedLoudoun, Virginia, is a suburban community about 45 minutes from Washington, D.C. “This is the most amount of individuals that we have seen experiencing homelessness,” said Ryan Harrison, an employee with family services in Loudoun County.The county is known for its quaint, historic districts and for having former President Donald Trumps country club. It includes one of the wealthiest ZIP codes in the entire country.However, like so many suburban communities in recent years, homelessness is on the rise in Loudoun County. In fact, government officials say it’s up 30% since 2019.SEE MORE: Portland homeless advocate says outreach is key to solving crisis”One cannot overstate the ramifications or the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Harrison told Scripps News.”One being the inflated cost of housing and rent,” Harrison added. “Many of our working-class families are priced out of the units that they are currently occupying.Harrison said homelessness in suburbs sometimes isn’t as visible as it is in cities, with more people often choosing to live in shelters as opposed to the streets, but not having a home is still the same.”Ultimately, it is up to that individual to see how they want to face this dramatic event,” Harrison said.White House planThe rise in homelessness in suburbs and cities has attracted the attention of the White House. Last month, the Biden administration announced a plan to reduce homelessness by 25% by 2025.Specific metro areas are being targeted, including Phoenix. The plan also targets the entire state of California.These areas and others will soon have dedicated federal officials working with local partners to identify ways to get everything from housing vouchers to Medicaid assistance to help those in need more efficiently.Over $5 billion in federal taxpayer dollars have been spent to reduce homelessness in the last two years.SEE MORE: Florida city clamps down on feeding homeless without permitHelp is neededThomas Barnett says the issue goes well beyond government and money.”Government alone can’t do it,” Barnett, a housing coordinator in Fairfax County, Virginia, tells Scripps News.Barnett says better coordination among nonprofits is needed, as are more affordable housing options.Barnett says the biggest thing needed may just be a better-informed public, emphasizing just because you live in the suburbs doesn’t mean homelessness isn’t impacting your community.”I think homelessness in the suburbs has always been somewhat hidden,” Barnett said.
Photos: Inside Look features Swarner Mansion in Carlisle
Swarner Mansion 1
Swarner Mansion is located at 801 S. Hanover St. in Carlisle and houses the Carlisle Chamber of Commerce.
Maddie Seiler
Swarner Mansion 2
A new sign sponsored by the Rotary Club of Carlisle and the Rotary Club of Carlisle Sunrise stands outside the Swarner Mansion along South Hanover Street in Carlisle which houses the Carlisle Chamber of Commerce.
Maddie Seiler
Swarner Mansion 3
Swarner Mansion along South Hanover Street in Carlisle was built in 1907 and now houses the Carlisle Chamber of Commerce.
Maddie Seiler
Swarner Mansion 4
The Swarner Mansion along South Hanover Street in Carlisle previously contained Carlisle Area School District offices.
Maddie Seiler
Swarner Mansion 5
A vestibule on the first floor of the Swarner Mansion in Carlisle contains the Carlisle Chamber of Commerce’s front desk.
Maddie Seiler
Swarner Mansion 6
Pamphlets and brochures line a turret bench in the Swarner Mansion in Carlisle which houses the Carlisle Chamber of Commerce.
Maddie Seiler
Swarner Mansion 7
Panels original to the 1907 Swarner Mansion in Carlisle are displayed in the first floor vestibule. The panels were discovered in 2019 after the Carlisle Chamber of Commerce purchased the property and began the remodeling process and bear the name and signature of the carpenter who installed them.
Maddie Seiler
Swarner Mansion 8
Carlisle Chamber of Commerce members’ business Cards decorate a wall of the Swarner Mansion’s first floor vestibule.
Maddie Seiler
Swarner Mansion 9
The Carlisle Chamber of Commerce’s board room is on the first floor of the Swarner Mansion in Carlisle.
Maddie Seiler
Swarner Mansion 10
The Swarner Mansion in Carlisle is owned by the Carlisle Chamber of Commerce and offers three offices on the first floor and three offices on the second floor.
Maddie Seiler
Swarner Mansion 11
The Carlisle Room is one of the Carlisle Chamber of Commerce’s two member conference rooms on the second floor of the Swarner Mansion in Carlisle. Members can use the rooms for meetings and other activities.
Maddie Seiler
Swarner Mansion 12
The Dickinson Room is one of the Carlisle Chamber of Commerce’s two member conference rooms on the second floor of the Swarner Mansion in Carlisle. Members can use the rooms for meetings and other activities.
Maddie Seiler
Swarner Mansion 13
Carlisle Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Nicole Deary’s office is located on the second floor of the Swarner Mansion in Carlisle. The chamber owns the mansion, which features three offices on the first floor and three on the second floor.
Maddie Seiler
Swarner Mansion 14
A staircase winds up and down all three floors of the Swarner Mansion in Carlisle, which houses the Carlisle Chamber of Commerce.
Maddie Seiler
Swarner Mansion 15
The third floor of the Swarner Mansion in Carlisle is said to have housed what was once Carlisle’s largest private ballroom. The space is now used for storage by the Carlisle Chamber of Commerce, who owns the mansion.
Maddie Seiler
Maddie Seiler is a news reporter for The Sentinel and cumberlink.com covering Carlisle and Newville. You can contact her at mseiler@cumberlink.com and follow her on Twitter at: @byMaddieSei
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