HARRISBURG (August 17, 2022) The seventh annual golf outing of the Tri-County Housing Development Corporation (TCHDC) took place on a sun-soaked summer day and included a special first: the presentation of the first-ever “Housing Advocate Champion” Award.
The inaugural recipient was Sen. John DiSanto (R-15), who has served in the state Senate since 2016 and has brought business expertise to his legislative and community work.
Golfers hit the links on Tuesday, Aug. 16 at Sportsman’s Golf Course in Susquehanna Township.
TCHDC Executive Director Gary Lenker said DiSanto was selected and the award was conceived to honor DiSanto’s consistent and significant support for housing for low- to moderate-income families during challenging economic times.
“The Tri-County Board of Directors was so appreciative of Sen. DiSanto’s support that we created this award to honor him and recognize others going forward who assist in providing affordable housing in our backyard and our region.”
Lenker cited DiSanto’s success in helping to secure $500,000 under the state’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) for the City of Harrisburg’s Hummel Street project, along with $500,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to help alleviate project funding gaps due to the rising costs of lumber and other building materials during post-pandemic times when many charities and families continue to struggle.
TCHDC has served Dauphin, Cumberland and Perry Counties for 32 years. Since 1990, they have developed or rehabilitated more than 700 units of affordable housing, for both rent and purchase. They specialize in rehabilitation and redevelopment projects as well as new home construction. Tri-County operates both the city of Harrisburg’s and Dauphin County’s Infill Housing programs to rehabilitate abandoned and blighted properties in the City of Harrisburg and throughout Dauphin and Cumberland County. Recent successful projects include affordable homes for sale in the South Allison Hill neighborhood of Harrisburg, on both Hummel Street and Swatara Street, along with properites on Frank S. Brown Boulevard in Steelton Borough and East South Street in Carlisle.
“Our agenda and roster of projects are ambitious, even in these inflationary economic times –and, in fact, in large part because of these challenging times,” Lenker said.
“Like Sen. DiSanto, we believe housing is one of the keys to family stability and economic recovery,” Lenker said. “Many charitable organizations like TCHDC are facing uncertain government funding and rising competition for declining private funds, so his support was vital.”
Lenker said in 2019, the average cost of a home built on Swatara Street hovered around $175,000 but now reaches nearly $360,000.
“Thanks to Sen. DiSanto’s support, many families in the City of Harrisburg will be able to afford a home for themselves and their family. A safe place to sleep at night can be a life-changer for them, and we are excited to thank him with our first-ever ‘Housing Advocate of the Year Award.’”
TCHDC recently moved its office to 201 North Front Street, First Floor, in downtown Harrisburg, by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency headquarters and now offers Home Buyer counseling to first-time buyers.
CONTACT: Diane McNaughton [email protected] 717-303-8320
