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Home Easton Launches Nonprofit to Address Easton's Affordable-Housing Crisis

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  Published in House and Home on Thursday, December 11th 2025 at 9:06 GMT by Lehigh Valley Live

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Home Easton: A New Nonprofit Set to Reversing the Affordable‑Housing Crisis in the City

The Easton‑area press has been buzzing with the launch of Home Easton, a nonprofit organization that promises to take a decisive stand against the affordable‑housing crisis that has gripped the city for more than a decade. According to the Lehigh Valley Live article dated December 5, 2025, the new entity is the product of a partnership between the city’s mayor, local business leaders, and the Easton Housing & Development Authority (EHDA). The article explains how the organization will combine land‑banking, developer incentives, and community‑based outreach to create a new pipeline of low‑cost homes and supportive services for the city’s most vulnerable residents.

1. The Genesis of Home Easton

The story of Home Easton begins in 2024, when the EHDA conducted a comprehensive audit of the city’s vacant and abandoned properties. “We were looking at more than 1,200 vacant lots, and the majority were owned by the city or by a handful of absentee landlords,” says City Councilwoman Marisol Delgado, who played a key role in the nonprofit’s formation. Delgado, in turn, enlisted the help of philanthropist and Easton native, James “Jim” Kline, whose family foundation has long supported urban revitalization projects.

The nonprofit’s board of directors consists of six members, including Mayor Robert “Bob” DeLuca, Kline, Delgado, and three representatives from the local faith‑based community. The board is supported by an advisory council that brings together real‑estate experts, urban planners, and social‑service professionals. The structure of the nonprofit reflects an intention to harness public‑private partnership while maintaining strong accountability to residents.

2. Mission and Vision

“Home Easton’s mission is simple: to make it possible for every Easton resident to live in a safe, affordable, and sustainable home,” declares the organization’s executive director, Dr. Lisa Nguyen. Nguyen, a licensed urban planner with over 20 years of experience in housing policy, highlights a three‑pronged approach:

1. Land Acquisition and Repurposing – Home Easton will use its own capital and leverage public funding to acquire and rehabilitate vacant lots for new housing.
2. Developer Incentives – The nonprofit will offer density bonuses, tax abatements, and expedited permitting to private developers who commit to keeping homes below market price for a defined period.
3. Supportive Services – In partnership with the Easton Community Services Center, Home Easton will provide rental counseling, eviction prevention, and tenant‑rights education to ensure long‑term affordability.

Nguyen stresses that “affordability is only one piece of the puzzle. We’re also committed to creating vibrant, inclusive neighborhoods that meet residents’ social and economic needs.”

3. Addressing the Numbers

The article details the magnitude of the crisis. According to the most recent city housing study, only 8.3% of the city’s 6,400 households can afford their current rent; a staggering 55% spend more than 30% of their income on housing, leaving them vulnerable to eviction. Furthermore, the city’s median household income—$42,500—has not kept pace with the rising cost of living, while the median rent for a one‑bedroom unit tops $1,200. The city also faces a chronic vacancy rate of 4.2%, with many empty properties contributing to blight and crime.

“Without an intervention that directly tackles the supply side, the only thing we’re doing is treating the symptoms,” says Dr. Sarah Patel, a professor of urban economics at Lehigh University who was cited in the article for her research on housing scarcity in small cities. Patel emphasizes that Home Easton’s model, which integrates land banking with incentives for private developers, is “the only realistic pathway to creating enough affordable units in a city of Easton’s size.”

4. Early Projects and Partnerships

Home Easton’s inaugural project is slated for the downtown “Riverside” district, where the nonprofit has secured a $5.2 million grant from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA). The grant will fund the purchase and remediation of a 12‑unit apartment complex currently owned by the city. The complex will be upgraded to include a community kitchen, a co‑working space, and a playground, all of which are designed to promote social cohesion.

The nonprofit also announced a partnership with the Easton Housing Coalition (EHC), a local non‑profit that has been advocating for affordable housing since the 1990s. The coalition will provide data on low‑income households and help match residents with available units. “We’re building a data‑driven pipeline that ensures the right people get the right homes,” says EHC president, Maya Thompson, who is also a Home Easton board member.

In a separate initiative, Home Easton has pledged to develop a 20‑unit micro‑housing cluster in the “Old Mill” area. The units—each around 350 square feet—will be priced at $750 per month, a figure below the city average by 30%. The article highlights that the micro‑homes will feature communal gardens and a shared laundry facility, making them ideal for young professionals and seniors who wish to live independently but with community support.

5. Funding Strategy

The article notes that Home Easton will rely on a diversified funding model: grants from state agencies (PHFA and the Community Development Block Grant), private philanthropy (Kline Foundation and other local donors), and an innovative “affordable‑housing trust fund” that will channel rental‑income into a revolving loan pool. The trust fund, a first for the region, will allow Home Easton to refinance units once they hit a 15‑year mark, ensuring continued affordability for future tenants.

“The trust fund is a game‑changer,” says DeLuca. “It means we’re not just putting money into the ground once. We’re creating a perpetual source of capital that keeps the pipeline running.”

6. Community Response and Concerns

The article includes a brief section on resident reactions. While many praise the initiative, some residents are wary about how the new developments will alter neighborhood character. “I’m happy that we’re going to get more housing,” says longtime Easton resident, Marjorie Brooks, “but I’m also concerned about traffic and the influx of new people.”

In response, Home Easton’s community liaison officer, Carlos Ramirez, promised quarterly town‑hall meetings where residents can voice concerns and receive updates on project milestones. The nonprofit also plans to incorporate “neighbor‑builder” programs that give residents a say in design decisions, from parking layouts to landscaping.

7. A Long‑Term Vision

The article ends on an optimistic note. Nguyen outlines a five‑year plan that includes building 400 new affordable units, expanding supportive services to 2,000 residents, and establishing a permanent housing policy office within the city. “We’re not just aiming to fix the housing shortage; we’re aiming to rebuild Easton’s social fabric,” Nguyen declares.

The article concludes by urging city officials and residents alike to support Home Easton’s mission: “If we’re going to survive the next decade, we need to ensure that every resident can afford to live where they belong. Home Easton gives us a blueprint for doing that.”

Take‑away

The launch of Home Easton represents a bold, collaborative effort to confront one of Easton’s most urgent challenges: the scarcity of affordable, safe housing. By combining public land acquisition, developer incentives, and supportive services, the nonprofit sets a comprehensive strategy that could serve as a model for other mid‑size cities grappling with similar crises. Whether Home Easton will deliver on its ambitious goals remains to be seen, but the article paints a hopeful picture of a city that, for the first time in recent history, is actively building a more equitable future for all its residents.