Smith-Wade-El announces $500K state grant to develop ‘Prince Street Hub’ to help unsheltered Lancastrians

Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El    May 22, 2024 | 4:52 PM

LANCASTER, May 22 – The Lancaster Redevelopment Fund has received a $500,000 grant from the Department of Community and Economic Development’s Keystone Communities Program to develop a site to address the needs of unsheltered individuals in Lancaster County.

The “Prince Street Hub” will offer needed aid to unsheltered Lancastrians by providing an emergency congregate shelter, permanent affordable housing, crisis housing, and a day center.

“Every Lancastrian, every Pennsylvanian, has the right to a roof over their heads, and the Prince Street Hub will help them from getting temporary shelter to permanent housing,” Smith-Wade-El said. “The housing crisis is real, and it’s time to put in the work, not just the words, to help our people get back into a home and back on their feet. We’re at our best when we work to secure rights, such as a safe, warm, dry home, for all our friends and neighbors. Alongside DCED, the Lancaster Redevelopment Fund and the Lancaster County Homelessness Coalition, it’s an honor and a privilege to be a partner in this work.”

Run by DCED, the KCP encourages the creation of partnerships between the public and private sectors that support the growth and stability of neighborhoods and communities, social and economic diversity, and a strong and secure quality of life. Local governments, redevelopment and housing authorities, nonprofit organizations, community development corporations, and business, neighborhood, and downtown improvement districts are all eligible to apply for KCP grant funding.

In the current award cycle, DCED received 117 applications for the Keystone Communities Program requesting more than $24 million in funding – demonstrating the need for more state investments in the growth and stability of neighborhoods, main streets and downtown districts so that Pennsylvania’s communities and their residents can thrive. 

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