HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM)- A once blighted neighborhood in Allison Hill got an update, thanks to city, county and state funding.

Soon, five families will get the keys to new townhouses. It’s part of a project that’s been years in the making to bring more affordable housing to Hummel Street.

The new townhomes are 1,600 square feet per home, with three bedrooms, 1.5 baths and a full basement. They are listed for $124,900 to $126,900 a unit to keep them within reach of for low-to moderate-income families.

“They are energy efficient, heating and cooling, all the appliances are included for first time homebuyers, we feel that’s very important,” said Gary Lenker, executive director of Tri-County Housing.

Rep. Dave Madsen (D) serves Dauphin County and says projects like this can help people afford homes but it’s only a drop in the bucket compared to the overall need.

“We are in a place where we are growing so there’s high demand for housing in our region, it’s a good problem to have, but we do not have that supply to match that demand and so what’s happening is it’s raising prices and pushing a lot of people out of the housing market,” said Madsen.

The need for more affordable housing stretches past the city limits.

“We have a desperate need for landlords our affordable housing program, the housing choice voucher program, usually referred to as Section 8,” said Leah Eppinger, executive director of Housing Authority of the County of Dauphin.

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The Housing Authority of the County of Dauphin covers the entire county except the City of Harrisburg. Officials say there are too many people in need and not enough houses to put them in.

“In the last five weeks, we’ve issued 60 vouchers to new participants and only three have found homes,” said Eppinger.

On Wednesday, HACD held an informational session to encourage more landlords to help reduce the affordable housing shortage.

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