Request for Proposals: Lancaster County & City of Lancaster Affordable Housing Programs

The Lancaster County Redevelopment Authority, the lead entity of the Lancaster HOME Consortium, and the City of Lancaster as a HOME Consortium partner, have just released a Request for Proposals for the Lancaster County Multifamily Rental and Single-Family Homeowner Occupied Affordable Housing Program. Applicants seeking HOME funds can be a for profit developer or a public or private non-profit entity.

A letter of intent is due April 11, 2022 and proposals are due May 18, 2022. This RFP is the first opportunity in a series for City affordable housing funds in 2022. Please note this is not the application process for the City of Lancaster’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. The City will issue a subsequent RFP to apply for ARPA funds for affordable housing development.

The City and County continue to work closely together to be good stewards of the various funding resources available to further affordable housing in the Lancaster community.

The City has engaged with a variety of stakeholders regarding potential affordable housing projects and what funding opportunities may be available to support those projects including ARPA, HOME, HOME-ARP, CDBG, and other federal and state funding programs. The City has been working to develop and release a set of RFPs related to affordable housing, some in collaboration with the Lancaster County Redevelopment Authority as applicable due to the funding source, and some to be released directly by the City of Lancaster.

Funding for this program is provided to the County of Lancaster by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) and the Home Investment Partnerships – American Rescue Plan Act (HOME-ARPA), and supplemented by the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG).

All project developers who are seeking funding for affordable housing projects that may be eligible for the above-mentioned funding programs, namely HOME and HOME-ARP, are strongly encouraged to apply. Specifically, any projects that may intend to seek ARPA funds from the City for affordable housing projects should submit to this RFP to ensure all potential funds are being leveraged most effectively.

The types of eligible projects include:
– New construction affordable housing projects in conjunction with Low Income Housing Tax Credits
– Affordable units within a mixed income residential development
– Units designated for housing of special populations including families experiencing homelessness or housing instability, fleeing domestic violence, or requiring services to prevent homelessness
– Transitional housing units
– Homeownership for families 80% AMI or below

The City is finalizing an RFP for the $5 million allocation of ARPA funds for affordable housing, which will be advertised soon. Please note, application to this RFP will not prevent future consideration for City ARPA funds.

If you have questions regarding this funding opportunity, please contact Craig Walt, Bureau Chief of Lead Safety and Community Development, at cwalt@cityoflancasterpa.gov.