South Central Pennsylvania
Housing Recovery Summit
A Regional Summit Conference for Our Communities
Presented By
The South Central Assembly
And
York Housing Advisory Commission
April 29, 2014
York Holiday Inn, York, PA
The Summit:
The South Central Assembly and The York Housing Advisory Commission are pleased to welcome you to the South Central Pennsylvania Housing Recovery Summit. The Summit provides a chance to share successes and solve problems we all face in providing decent, safe, and affordable housing for citizens and communities throughout our eight counties. Housing has lagged in recovering from the Great Recession and it is our hope that the Summit will help stimulate recovery across the region
The Summit features sessions in five tracks that offer a broad range of topics for groups that make up our housing industry. The tracks include Municipal Concerns, Helping the Homeless, Housing Issues, Housing Resources, and Assisting Senior and Special Needs Populations. Three plenary sessions will present analyses on demographic patterns shaping our region’s housing future, the views of our city Mayors on their key housing concerns, and expert commentary on game changing developments facing us all in the housing arena.
The Summit is the product of many hours of planning effort by volunteers who comprise the South Central Assembly and the York Housing Advisory Commission. This bi-annual event is made possible by the generosity of numerous sponsors and exhibitors, who are listed in our program. Special thanks go to the York County Planning Commission and the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania for their administrative support.
We have built the Summit with you in mind, offering many sessions, a chance to hear your needs, and providing information on new resources to help you solve your problems.
Steve Snell, President W. Lee Woodmansee, Chair Craig Zumbrun, Chair
South Central Assembly York Housing Advisory Commission Summit Planning Committee
Conference-at-a-Glance
8:00 Registration/Continental Breakfast
8:45 Morning Plenary Session Welcome: York County Commissioner, Chris Reilly;
State Representative, Kevin Schreiber;
Summit Coordinator, Craig Zumbrun
Presentation: A Region in Transition: Recognizing Changes in
Demographics and Housing in South Central PA
Barry Denk, Center for Rural PA
9:40 Break – Visit sponsor and vendor displays
10:00 Break Out Session One
Track 1: Blight
Track 2: Special Housing Needs of Youth, Veterans & Ex-offenders
Track 3: Choice, Credit & Counseling
Track 4: Federal & State Programs
Track 5: Development & Design
11:05 Break Out Session 2
Track 1: Smart Growth, Planning for our Future
Track 2: Housing First/Opportunities and Barriers
Track 3: Affordable Housing and Green Building
Track 4: Developing New Funding Sources
Track 5: Financing
12:10 Luncheon “The Big What Ifs?”
· Lunch
· Resource Panel: Liz Hersh, Housing Alliance of PA; Jane Vincent, HUD; Chris Estes, National
Housing Conference; Ed Geiger, PA Department of Community and Economic Development; Moderator: W. Lee Woodmansee
1:45 Break Out Session 3
Track 1: Codes: Improving Neighborhoods through Property Maintenance and Nuisance Codes
Track 2: Best Practices: Area COC’s
Track 3: Reinvesting in Housing in Distressed Neighborhoods
Track 4: Bringing in the Faith Community
Track 5: Services
2:45 Break – Visit sponsor and vendor displays
3:05 Afternoon Plenary Session “The Mayors on Housing” Kim Bracey, York; Rick Gray, Lancaster;
Eric Papenfuse, Harrisburg; Sherry Capello, Lebanon; Moderator: Steve Snell
4:00 Wine & Cheese Networking Reception
Summit Speakers
Morning Plenary Session – A Region in Transition: Recognizing changes in
Demographics and Housing in South Central PA
Barry Denk, Executive Director, Center for Rural Pennsylvania
Barry Denk is a 1975 University of Pittsburgh graduate; Mr. Denk has held positions in community based organizations, education, and government. For 10 years, he headed a workforce and entrepreneurial development program sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and served as a consultant to the World Bank and the U.S. Department of Commerce on Eastern European development matters. Following graduate school, he joined the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, a legislative research agency of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, and was named Executive Director of the agency in 1996. He has served on the boards of several statewide associations including the Pennsylvania Rural Health Association, Pennsylvania Rural Partners, Governor’s Advisory Council on Rural Affairs, Farm Link, and PA Downtown Center. He was chair of the National Conference of State Legislatures’ Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, co-authoring an NCSL publication titled “Meeting the Challenges of rural America”. He is a founding member of the National Coalition of State Rural Policy Centers.
Afternoon Plenary Session – “The Mayors on Housing”
Mayor C. Kim Bracey, City of York
C. Kim Bracey was elected Mayor of the City of York on November 3, 2009 and was sworn-in as the 24th Mayor, January 4, 2010. Prior to being elected Mayor Bracey held the position of Director of the Department of Community Development for the City of York. Mayor Bracey was born and raised in York where she attended York City schools and is a proud graduate of William Penn Senior High School and attended Bloomsburg University and in 1984 joined the United States Air Force where she served honorably until 1994 achieving the rank of E-6. Among her medals and citations, she received the National Defense Service Medal and the Air Force Good Conduct Medal with 2 devices. In addition to her duties as mayor, Kim currently serves or has served on the Boards of York Hospital, the Martin Library, the York County Community Foundation, and Habitat for Humanity specifically because of their missions to serve the York community. She is also the founding President of the York Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, a 30 year old national organization whose mission is to develop leaders to rebuild their communities. She is an active member of the Friendship Baptist Church and serves as the church’s Treasurer.
Mayor Sherry Capello, Lebanon
Sherry Capello was sworn in as Lebanon’s 31st Mayor on January 4, 2010. Mayor Capello has focused her administration on becoming accountable to the people, leading the city in a new direction with results. Mayor Capello earned an Associate of Arts degree in Business Management from Harrisburg Area Community College in Harrisburg, PA. She has received more than thirty certificates for professional development. Prior to her election as Mayor of Lebanon City, Mayor Capello served for eighteen months as the Assistant Director of the Derry Township Community Development Department, as the Borough Manager for Palmyra Borough for about eleven years and as Lebanon County’s Chief Zoning Officer for almost ten years. Mayor Capello serves as an ex-officio member of the Lebanon Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Lebanon Valley Economic Development Corporation and the Lebanon County Women’s Commission. She is a member of the Lebanon County Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Policy Committee, the Lebanon School District’s Safe and Healthy Schools and Restorative Justices Program, Women’s Club of Lebanon County, HACC Advisory Council, Lebanon County Career and Technology Center Criminal Justice Occupational Advisory Committee, Blueprint Community Core Group/Elm Street Committee, and the Community of Lebanon’s Government Relations Committee. She is Chair of the City’s Board of Health, Police Pension and Paid Firemen Pension Boards and her Visioning Committee’s Economic Restructuring Committee.
Mayor J. Richard Gray, Lancaster
J. Richard Gray was first elected Mayor of Lancaster in 2005 and was sworn into office in January of 2006. He was endorsed by the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal who applauded his vision and leadership for the city, and was re-elected in 2009. After attending American University and Dickenson Law School, Rick Gray began his law career in 1969 as a VISTA attorney assigned to the Neighborhood Legal Services in Pittsburgh, PA. He came to Lancaster in 1972 where he was the Director of Legal Services until 1976. In 1976, he entered private practice and began a 30 career as a defense attorney. The Mayor has been recognized by the Bay Journal and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation as a leader who has promoted the greening of Lancaster’s infrastructure. In a recent address to the Choose Clean Water Coalition Conference in Lancaster, Mayor Gray said they have resolved to implement a “green” solution to keep about a billion gallons of storm water from mixing with the city sewage and being channeled into the Conestoga River, and eventually into the Chesapeake Bay. Mayor Gray is a Board Member of the Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities and a former President of the Lancaster County Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Mayor Eric Papenfuse, Harrisburg
Eric Papenfuse assumed the office of Mayor of Harrisburg on January 6, 2014. Prior to becoming Mayor, Papenfuse was the founder and CEO of the Midtown Scholar Bookstore. Mayor Papenfuse has created more than 250 jobs in the past decade; his current staff is a diverse workforce of more than 60 employees. His Midtown Scholar Bookstore-Café serves as an important community resource and cultural center, bringing together people from Harrisburg’s diverse neighborhoods. Eric’s main business headquarters is a 50,000 square-foot warehouse on North Sixth Street stocked with more than one million books. His company is among the region’s largest national and international shippers. As a former public school teacher, Eric taught Latin at Central Dauphin East and Linglestown Junior High Schools, where he served as chair of the Foreign Language department. He also served as a member of the Harrisburg Authority. “Together We Can!” is his mantra and shows his dedication to making Harrisburg a welcoming, vibrant and progressive place to live, work and play. His goals are to ensure that Harrisburg is a safe community to raise a family with quality education systems, and the financial stability required to encourage and support local business growth and sustainability.
Breakout Sessions
Track 1 – Municipal – Room #6 – Duke of York
Blight: This session covers successful approaches to indentifying blight in urban and rural communities, organizational and legal options to fighting blight, and blight removal best practices and techniques.
Moderator: Liz Hersh, Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania
Armand Magnelli, Livable Housing Inc.
Chris Gulotta, Gulotta Associates, LLC
Skip Memmi, Dauphin County Land Bank
Smart Growth, Planning for our Future: South central PA is one of the fastest growing communities in Pennsylvania. While growth can be a positive for a community it also has its challenges. How can municipalities utilize smart growth planning tools to direct housing growth in the appropriate areas while preserving the quality of life elements our communities cherish?
Moderator: Ray D’Agostino, Lancaster Housing Opportunity Partnership
Felicia Dell, York County Planning Commission
Terry Kauffman, Aaro Consulting
Ed LeClair, Cumberland County Housing and Redevelopment Authority
Codes-Improving Neighborhoods through Property Maintenance and Nuisance Codes: Property maintenance codes address property and building upkeep issues that may pose a health hazard or threat to occupants, neighbors, or visitors and diminish property values. Non structural issues such as weeds or parking of unlicensed vehicles may be dealt with in nuisance codes. This session will include procedures for notification of violation, enforcement penalties and other such provisions to help keep properties and structures in sound condition.
Moderator: Shanna Terroso, Realtors Association of York and Adams County
Kip Allison, Windsor Township
David Patton, Department of Public Safety City of Harrisburg
Karen Bousquet, Economic Development & Neighborhood Revitalization Lancaster City
Track 2 – Homelessness – First Capital Room
Special Housing Needs of Youth, Veterans, & Ex-offenders: This session will discuss working with homeless youth, veterans, and ex-offenders, especially as it relates to achieving stable housing. Presenters will provide statistics, discuss their populations, and allow for a question and answer period.
Moderator: Kelly Blechertas, YCPD GIS 7 Information Systems Administrator
Elizabeth A. Scott, York Learning Center
William M. Reed, Veterans’ Services YWCA of Greater Harrisburg
Melanie Snyder, Lancaster County Re-Entry Management Organization
Housing First/Opportunities and Barriers: This session will provide a brief overview of the Housing First model as well as considerations for implementing a Housing First approach. Hear from one organization targeting chronically homeless using Housing First, as well as the pros/cons from a second organization considering the adoption of a Housing First approach.
Moderator/Speaker: Diana T. Myers, Diana T. Myers & Associates
Jennifer Johnson, Franklin/Fulton County MH/ID/EI Programs
Ben Laudermilch, Cumberland/Perry Housing and Redevelopment Authority
Best Practices from Area COC’s: Homelessness is a problem facing all of the counties in South Central Pennsylvania. This session brings together the Chairpersons of four HUD funded Continuum of Care groups serving the region to discuss problems and issues each organization face in trying to end homelessness in their areas. They will also discuss best practices they have developed in planning, coordination/communication, program development, and service delivery.
Moderator: George Barnock, York County Planning Commission
Bryan Davis, Capital Area Coalition on Homelessness
Mike Foley, Lancaster Homeless Coalition
Nancy Newton, York County Continuum of Care
Ben Laudermilch, Central Pennsylvania Regional Homeless Advisory Board
Track 3 – Housing Issues – Room #5 – Princess Elizabeth
Choice, Credit & Counseling: Have housing opportunities increased or have new financing qualifications and requirements created greater obstacles? What do counselors see and provide about getting in and staying in? Listen to perspectives on housing choice, the state of credit, and counseling from fair housing, banking, and counseling experts.
Moderator: Steve Snell, Realtors Associate of York and Adams County
Jane Vincent, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Roger Steffy, Tabor Community Services
Greg Scagliotti, Wells Fargo
Affordable Housing and Green Building: There are many ways to label an affordable housing project or an affordable housing program green. At this session we will describe processes that will help you to arrive at common sense and financially responsible design choices that are sustainable, resilient and possibly regenerative. We will Discuss * the most productive ways to structure the “Design Process”, * The “Standards” that are worthy of consideration, and * Examples of how we’ve applied these approaches