Housing
Increasing accessibility to sustainable and affordable housing options within the community.
Current List of projects:
SCCAP Apartments Project
South Central Community Action Programs (SCCAP) acquired the old Columbia Gas building in Gettysburg to convert into a family homeless shelter and to also raise the roof to create space for four apartments. These units will be priced well below market rate to create more affordable housing options for working families in Adams County.
Meadow view Townhomes Project
Our partners at Luminest Community Development, in coordination with Pennsylvania Interfaith Community Programs, Inc. (PICPI), developed Meadow View Townhomes in Gettysburg to create affordable family housing options that are accessible, energy efficient, and offer an assortment of amenities.
Current list of Agencies contributing to housing efforts with @Home in Adams County:
South Central Community Action Programs (SCCAP), Adams County Housing Authority, Luminest, Converge Enterprises, Adams County Office of Planning and Development.
Transportation
Making transportation accessible to everyone.
Current List of Projects
Gettysburg Hanover Connector (GHC):
@Home in Adams County is working with rabbittransit and community partners to develop and launch a 3-year pilot project in Adams County. This project will create a bus service route from Gettysburg to Hanover through New Oxford, Pa. @Home and rabbittransit identified a need for this bus service and are working together to increase access to public transportation services in our community.
Current list of Transportation Agencies
associated with @Home In Adams County:
Economic Development
Working with employers and community partners to identify and provide solutions for access to livable wages in Adams County.
Current List of Projects
Spark Loan Program
The Spark Loan Program is a new lending tool designed to spark investment and growth in Adams County’s small business sector. The program aims to support women and minority business owners in the Service and Retail industries to advance their businesses by providing fixed-rate financing. Funds can be utilized for real estate, equipment, inventory and working capital purposes. The program will fund up to 50% of the project costs and a bank loan or line of credit must provide matching funding, dollar for dollar. If you’re interested in more information, please contact Kaycee Kemper, Vice President at kkemper@adamsalliance.org.
Spark Loans eligible uses:
Acquire equipment or inventory
Produce, manufacture or deliver goods or services
Real Estate purchase, construction, renovation; or tenant improvements
Pay soft, start-up or franchise costs
working capital
Refinance existing debt (conditions apply)
Spark Loan details:
Loan max up to 50% of eligible project costs
Matching financing required for 50% of project costs (loan or line of credit)
Interest rates: set quarterly; matching or less than area commercial rates
Loan terms: 3 - 15 years
IMT APPRENTICESHIPS
Homebuyer Loan Program
The Adams Economic Alliance is working to launch a new revolving loan fund to help Adams Countians become homeowners.
Recently, the organization unveiled its groundbreaking Quality of Life Report. The report includes facts, economics and testimonials about Adams County’s quality of life. Many of us truly believe Adams County is a great place to live, work and play! However, if people cannot afford to live here, how can they work here? That’s the crux of the problem we hope to begin fixing with this new loan fund, Tenfold’s Homebuyer Loan Program.
Thanks to $323,000 in seed money generously awarded by the Adams County Commissioners, the goal is to assist 25 households with down payments on Adams County homes by 2025. This seed money comes by way of the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) funding in response to the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which the Adams County commissioners put into a grant program, the Adams Rescue and Recovery Fund (ARRF).
The economic impact of COVID-19 continues to be felt across the Adams County business community as well as families’ budgets. Although the current unemployment rate in Adams County is historically low at 3.63%, many Adams County businesses are still struggling to fill positions. COVID-19 caused many people to reevaluate and leave the workforce, as highlighted by a very low workforce participation rate of 64.77%.
Another challenge to attracting and retaining talent in Adams County is the current cost of affordable workforce housing. The median cost of an Adams County home in 2016 was $250,000. By October 2022, the median rose to $279,750. With houses lasting an average of eight days on the market and sellers receiving full asking prices, working families and first-time homebuyers are being priced out of homeownership. The share of first-time buyers fell to 26 percent, plummeting to the lowest level in four decades nationally.
The Alliance has partnered with @home in Adams County (an initiative operated under South Central Community Action Programs, SCCAP) and Tenfold, a Lancaster County-based nonprofit. Tenfold’s mission is to spark the power in all people to achieve equitable housing and financial security.
Together, our three organizations will establish the revolving loan fund to assist Adams County homebuyers with down payment funds to increase their purchasing power. Our model is based on Tenfold’s Homebuyer Loan Program, which currently operates in both Lancaster and York. Since 1994, Tenfold has provided 2,477 loans totaling $15,186,872 to support first-time homebuyers in Lancaster and York Counties.