Willow Grove Community Development Corporation

OUR MISSION IS HELPING FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES BY PROVIDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND SERVICES. THE ORGANIZATION OFFERS SUBSIDIZED RENTAL HOUSING AND SUPPORT SERVICES FOR RESIDENTS; AND SERVICE PROGRAMS FOR THE COMMUNITY.

SUPPORTIVE RENTAL HOUSING PROGRAMS - WE PROVIDE 62 AFFORDABLE RENTAL HOUSING UNITS, UP FROM 58 IN 2022, AND SUPPORT SERVICES TO INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES WHO QUALIFY AS LOW-TO-MODERATE INCOME HOUSEHOLDS. RENTS ARE WELL BELOW MARKET RATES, AND ARE SUBSIDIZED TO ENSURE THAT RENTERS PAY NO MORE THAN 30% OF THEIR INCOME FOR HOUSING COSTS. SUPPORT TEAM HOME VISITS ARE MADE 3 TIMES A YEAR, SUPPLEMENTED BY COUNSELING, CLASSES, AND SOCIAL SERVICES AT THE OFFICE. RENTERS INCLUDE ELDERLY PERSONS, DISABLED PERSONS, FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN, AND MILITARY VETERANS. APPROXIMATELY 17% OF RENTS ARE SUBSIDIZED BY HUD VOUCHERS, AND 83% ARE SUBSIDIZED BY WILLOW GROVE CDC. DURING 2020 12 VOLUNTEERS SERVED ON SUPPORT TEAMS. HOUSING COUNSELING AND REFERRAL SERVICES ARE OFFERED TO ABOUT 1200 PERSONS ANNUALLY.

BRIDGING THE GAP IN UPPER MORELAND TOWNSHIP AND EASTERN MONTGOMERY COUNTY: FOR 2023-2025, WGCDC WAS AWARDED ARPA FUNDING FROM UPPER MORELAND TOWNSHIP AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY FOR THE PURPOSE OF ACQUIRING (6) ADDITIONAL AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS TO ADDRESS THE SHORTAGE OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS IN EASTERN MONTGOMERY COUNTY. IN 2023 WGCDC ACQUIRED FOUR ADDITIONAL PROPERTIES THROUGH THIS PROGRAM. THREE OF THE PROPERTIES ARE IN UPPER MORLAND TOWNSHIP AND ONE IS IN THE BOROUGH OF AMBLER. ALL OF THE NEW UNITS ARE OCCUPIED AND LEASED AT THIS TIME RESULTING IN A CURRENT 100% OCCUPANCY RATE. WE ARE LOOKING TO ACQUIRE THE 2 REMAINING PROPERTIES FOR THE PROGRAM THIS YEAR. ADDITIONALLY, IN 2024 UPPER MORELAND TOWNSHIP HAS PROVIDED ADDITIONAL FUNDING SUPPORT FOR THE PURPOSE OF ACQUIRING A FOURTH PROPERTY IN UPPER MORELAND. WE HOPE TO DO THAT IN 2024 AS WELL. IN TERMS OF THE FIRST TIME HOMEBUYER PORTION OF THE PROGRAM, WGCDC TO DATE HAS IDENTIFIED ONE FAMILY TO PARTICIPATE IN ITS FIRST TIME HOMEBUYER PROGRAM FOR 2024 AND WILL BE INCREASING ITS EFFORTS TO IDENTIFY AND CULTIVATE MORE PARTICIPANTS FOR 2024 AND 2025, IN COLLABORATION WITH, AND SUPPORT FROM, PNC FOUNDATION, HEALTH SPARK FOUNDATION AND UPPER MORELAND TOWNSHIP. PROPERTY RENOVATIONS: WGCDC MADE SIGNIFICANT RENOVATIONS FOR MULTIPLE UNITS IN 2023, DUE TO AGE AND LONG-TIME OCCUPANCY. SEVERAL LONGTIME RESIDENTS MOVED OUT IN 2023 AND THEIR UNITS WERE UPDATED WITH NEW KITCHENS AND UPDATED BATHROOMS AND OTHER ENHANCEMENTS TO MAKE THEM SUITABLE FOR THE NEW FAMILIES TO OCCUPY. ALL OF THE RENOVATED UNITS HAVE BEEN LEASED TO DATE AS WELL. WGCDC ALSO REPLACED FIVE ROOFS, AND FIVE HVAC SYSTEMS, ON 10 DIFFERENT PROPERTIES, IN ABINGTON TOWNSHIP THROUGH FUNDING SUPPORT PROVIDED BY ABINGTON TOWNSHIP. AS A SUBRECIPIENT OF THEIR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT FUNDING, WHICH ALLOWS WGCDC IS ABLE TO MAINTAIN THE MAJOR SYSTEMS ON ITS ABINGTON PROPERTIES TO KEEP THEM SUITABLE FOR LONG TERM AFFORDABLE HOUSING. WILLOW GROVE CDC IS PLEASED TO MAINTAIN A LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIP WITH ABINGTON TOWNSHIP TO ACCOMPLISH MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL GOALS AND OBJECTIVES FOR LOW- TO-MODERATE INCOME INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES IN ABINGTON.

SENIOR NUTRITION PROGRAMS - WE OFFER 2 NUTRITION PROGRAMS FOR VERY LOW- INCOME PERSONS OVER AGE 60 SERVING ABOUT 140 PERSONS IN 2020. BOTH PROGRAMS PROVIDE NUTRITION EDUCATION AND ADDITIONAL SERVICES. WE DISTRIBUTE NEARLY 6 TONS OF FOOD ANNUALLY THROUGH THE SENIOR FOOD BOX PROGRAM, WHICH OFFERS MONTHLY USDA FOOD BOXES AND CHEESE. THE FOOD IS SUPPLEMENTED BY ADDITIONAL DONATED FOOD, GOODS, AND SOCIAL SERVICES. WE ALSO DISTRIBUTE FARMERS' MARKET NUTRITION VOUCHERS, WHICH PROVIDE FRESH PRODUCE FOR QUALIFIED SENIORS. WE ARE AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY ANTI-HUNGER NETWORK.

VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE (VITA) PROGRAM - WE OFFER INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE AND E-FILING FOR LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS WITH INCOME UNDER 54,000. VOLUNTEERS TRAIN THROUGH IRS TO SERVE AS GREETERS, INTAKE INTERVIEWERS, TAX PREPARERS, QUALITY REVIEWERS, AND SITE COORDINATORS. DURING 2020, 351 TAX RETURNS WERE PREPARED BY 10 CERTIFIED VOLUNTEERS. THE OFFICE ALSO OFFERS FINANCIAL EDUCATION AND ASSET-BUILDING ACTIVITIES, SUCH AS CLASSES FOR FINANCIAL EDUCATION, CREDIT, MORTGAGES, AND HOME BUYER EDUCATION. WE ARE ACTIVE MEMBERS OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY PARTNERS FOR HOMEOWNERSHIP, AND PARTICIPATE IN THE ANNUAL MONTGOMERY COUNTY HOUSING FAIR GEARED TOWARD FIRST-TIME BUYERS. FOR 2020 AND 2021 TAX YEARS THE NUMBER OF TAX RETURNS COMPLETED EXCEEDED 500 EACH YEAR. FOR THE 2022 TAX YEAR THE NUMBER OF RETURNS WERE 435.