Officials broke ground on an affordable housing development in Uptown Harrisburg.
Jamien Harvey has a vision for a Harrisburg neighborhood.
He shared that vision on Thursday as officials broke ground on an affordable housing development near the Camp Curtin YMCA in Uptown.
“Homeownership is critical to building strong community,” said Harvey, executive director of both the East Shore and Camp Curtin Y’s.
The Camp Curtin Y’s “Harrisburg Cornerstone Initiative” aims to eliminate vacant lots and provide homeownership opportunities to low-income families, he explained.
A rendering of the proposed affordable homes.
The initiative will kick off with the $1.2 million development of four affordable single-family homes on a vacant lot at the corner of Woodbine and Jefferson streets. Each home will include three bedrooms, two-and-a-half bathrooms and an off-street parking space.
Harvey said that the Y will work with a realtor to market the homes to low-income families interested in homeownership. While the prices will vary depending on the income of the family, the cost will likely range from $150,000 to $200,000, Harvey said. Families will also be required to complete financial literacy workshops.
Harvey, along with other officials, spoke to the importance of creating stable housing. They noted its effects on job security, food security, health, safety and education for children and families.
“The environment which families grow up in is important,” Harvey said. “Change the environment, you can change behavior.”
The York branch of the YMCA served as an example of creating affordable housing, Harvey said. Their model inspired him to take up the challenge in Harrisburg.
The planned site of the development at Woodbine and Jefferson streets.
Harvey expects work to begin at the building site by next week and wrap up by spring.
The homes at Woodbine and Jefferson streets are the first phase of what Harvey hopes is a large-scale affordable building project in the neighborhood.
“If we can get homeowners up here and build a family and community then we really feel like we can change things with the Y being the cornerstone in the middle,” he said.
The funds for the project are coming from a variety of local sponsors and partners, including PNC, UPMC, S&T Bank, M&T Bank, Tri-County Community Action, the City of Harrisburg, Harrisburg Housing Authority, Mid Penn Bank, Dauphin County, Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority and PHFA.
“The pandemic really slowed up our process, but I had a vision,” Harvey said. “We had a vision and nothing was going to stop that vision.”
For more information about the Camp Curtin YMCA’s Harrisburg Cornerstone initiative, visit their website.
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