'Profound Moral Failure': Montco Activists To Rally For Affordable Housing

NORRISTOWN, PA — A public rally will be held in Montgomery County this month to address the growing criss of affordable housing around the region.

The event, organized by the Montco 30% Project, will take place at the Montgomery County Courthouse steps in Norristown at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 29. Organizers say the homelessness rate and the housing crisis in the county is inexcusable and a result of institutional failures.

“While some would like to stigmatize the unhoused and dismiss this issue as one that is the result of personal failure or a lack of individual responsibility, the truth is that the government policies which fail to ensure a livable wage, affordable access to health care, mental health services, and substance abuse treatment – as well as affordable housing and childcare – create the conditions that lead to people becoming housing insecure," Angie Hinton, president of the Greater Norristown NAACP, said in a statement.

The event is organized by the Montco 30% Project, a nonprofit dedicated to advocacy for affordable housing policies.

The organization says that they hope to move county leaders to work more closely with municipalities on improving zoning barriers, as well as repurposing empty or abandoned buildings. That will help develop more housing at below market rates.

The state budget can be improved as well, they added, by placing in more opportunities for grants for tiny home construction.

State Rep. Izzy Smith-Wade-El (D-49) called the current situation "a profound moral failure."

"Here, in the richest country in the world, people are struggling to find affordable housing in which to live and raise their families,” she said. “The lack of affordable housing is a crucial gap in the safety net that we must mend through strategic policies and programs that will increase affordable housing in our communities, protect existing affordable housing from physical deterioration, and support new affordable housing projects.”

The group cited a rapid increase in the number of evictions since the end of the pandemic, particularly since state and county mortatoriums ended. A total of 234,414 people have been evicted in Pennsylvania since early 2020.

In addition to local lawmakers, Carl Gershenson, a Lansdale native and director of Princeton University's Eviction Lab, will also speak. Norristown Councilwoman Lauren Hughes is also participating, and organizations like CADCOM, Power Interfaith, the Norristown Hospitality Center, and HopeWorx will have tables.