Eight organizations have committed a total of $155,000 to support the Foundation for Delaware County’s Housing Opportunities Program for Equity (HOPE) through the Neighborhood Assistance Act Tax Credit Program (NAP).

The HOPE project was approved in November for funding through NAP by the PA Department of Economic Development (DCED).

Through this program the foundation will remediate both the current and systemic barriers to healthy housing through comprehensive direct services, financial literacy and education, direct financial relief, and broader advocacy and collective action.

Housing is an important determinant of health and opportunity.

Substandard housing is linked to a variety of health problems, including respiratory infections, asthma, lead poisoning, injuries, and mental illness.

“Recognizing the inextricable connection between housing, health, and opportunity, the foundation has expanded our programming to focus on the need for stable, affordable, and safe permanent housing affecting our program participants’ ability to birth healthy babies and foster healthy families through the HOPE program,” said Frances Sheehan, president of The Foundation for Delaware County.

“The foundation is thrilled that eight organizations have stepped forward this year to contribute to HOPE and are truly grateful for their support.”

Wells Fargo is the lead contributor of the eight organizations, providing $50,000 in funds, followed by:

WSFS Bank – $40,000

Park Power – $25,000

Keystone First – $10,000

Pagano Funeral Home – $10,000

HDE Management Group – $10,000

Meridian Bank – $5,000

Main Line TeleCommunications – $5,000

The opportunity to access quality housing free from health harming conditions is not evenly distributed across Delaware County. People of color and people with low income are disproportionately impacted by these defective homes.

“This program has helped us so much,” a HOPE participant recently remarked. “The team helped me to understand what was expected of me and learn about my rights as a tenant. I truly hope the foundation can continue to help more moms in the future, especially single mothers who don’t have a lot of support.”

About The Foundation for Delaware County

A public charity founded in 2016, The Foundation for Delaware County is the largest philanthropy serving Delaware County.

It is one of 780 community foundations across the U.S. The foundation encourages philanthropy by providing efficient giving vehicles like donor advised funds, gift annuities, and estate planning advice to generous individuals who want to have an impact in Delaware County and beyond.

It serves as a convener across sectors to address challenging community issues such as the need for a county health department.

The foundation operates the new Center for Nonprofit Excellence and makes grants to strengthen Delaware County’s nonprofit community.

The foundation distributed more than $2.1M in Impact Grants in May and $1M from its Delaware County COVID-19 Response Fund.

With headquarters in Media and service sites in Eddystone, Upper Darby and Springfield, The Foundation for Delaware County also operates the prestigious evidence-based programs Healthy Start, the WIC nutrition program, and Nurse-Family Partnership.

Other programs include: El Centro (a Hispanic resource center) and a health resource center for students in the Chester Upland School District.

Find out more about The Foundation for Delaware County.

You can also follow the foundation on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @DelcoFdn.

A researcher talks about how to solve the affordable housing crisis.