Mayor Sorace of Lancaster has spoken about her experience with housing insecurity. She says this experience informs her administration’s focus on housing access in Lancaster. The city faces several challenges in affordable housing development. These include limited funding, high borrowing costs, tariffs, labor shortages, zoning restrictions, and high acquisition costs. Despite these issues, Lancaster has made progress with help from federal funding, non-profit organizations, and private investment.
Since 2018, Lancaster has built 805 new housing units. Of these, 19% are designated as affordable. Another 688 units are under construction. The city has built 98 new affordable units, with 136 more underway. It has also preserved or rehabilitated 316 affordable units, with 59 more in progress. In total, $16.76 million has been invested in affordable housing. The city has also remediated lead-paint hazards in over 500 housing units to improve health and safety in historic neighborhoods.
In late 2024, the Clay Street Shelter opened. This project involved the Lancaster County Housing & Redevelopment Authority, the YMCA, and Otterbein United Methodist Church. The city is also planning the Prince Street Hub to support homelessness services…