A nonprofit aiming to help local residents become landlords who can help solve an affordable housing crunch has set its eyes on the Lehigh Valley.

A small group gathered last week at a tavern in West Easton to learn what they could do to alleviate the housing shortage in the Lehigh Valley.

Nancy Larcom O’Brien, accompanied by her husband and small daughter, introduced Jumpstart Lehigh Valley to the gathering. The nonprofit program aims to equip local residents and small investors with the tools to revitalize their neighborhoods with real-estate development.

It’s based on a similar community-centered program developed in the Germantown section of Philadelphia.

“I think that landlords that are your neighbors make the best landlords,” O’Brien said, “because they’re more rooted in the community, and they care.”

She said the idea of the Jumpstart program is to keep real estate more locally based in the Lehigh Valley, so property owners are people who live and work in the area.

“We’re certainly seeking out the type of people who care about community development and try to get them the right tools,” said O’Brien, Jumpstart Lehigh Valley’s executive director.

Jumpstart will offer a developer training program that will run each Saturday morning in May at Century 21 Keim Realtors in Hanover Township, Northampton County.

According to the Jumpstart Lehigh Valley website, the training is designed for aspiring developers, small investors, property owners and community members who want to understand how the development can work from a community perspective. The program will cover development strategy, property evaluation, due diligence, financing, design and construction, project oversight and leasing or sale.

Professionals in the real estate community will share their knowledge and graduates will have access to mentorships. Experience is not necessary. The cost is $150 for the 12½-hour course.

Jumpstart’s website says the program is supported through volunteer time, low-cost or donated space, modest training fees and small sponsorships. Fundraising is planned beginning for 2027.

“If you look at social media, and all of these social media personalities, they’re charging $2,000 for a program like this,” said Vanessa Rivera, a Realtor at Century 21 Keim Realtors. “The fact that a nonprofit is actually giving the opportunity to the regular Joe, I feel, is amazing.”

She said it is a potential antidote to the issue of absentee landlords.

“It could bring revitalization to some properties,” Rivera said. “Like these blighted properties in Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton could potentially be turned around, I think it’s a win-win for everybody.”

It’s a good chance for someone to start a portfolio out of this program.

“It’ll be a great entrance for them,” Rivera said.

Jumpstart’s origins

The Jumpstart program goes back to 2015 when developer Ken Weinstein began an effort to recycle housing in Germantown and provide a formal training path for aspiring real estate investors, moving away from informal one-on-one mentoring, then getting them access to investment capital.

Since then, Jumpstart has overseen hundreds of renovation projects and has expanded around Philadelphia and beyond. Similar projects were started in suburbs such as Coatesville, Pottstown and Norristown and then in cities nationwide.

Weinstein and Jumpstart Philly were included in the groups that helped craft Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Housing Action Plan to address the state’s housing shortage and expand access to affordable housing.

O’Brien herself was a former Philadelphia public school teacher who transitioned into real estate investment and property management. Her interest dates to her days as a college student and living in substandard housing where she suffered prolonged winter heating failures and frozen pipes.

She said that experience shaped her perspective on housing responsibility.

After completing the Jumpstart course, O’Brien invested in small residential properties, focusing on long-term ownership and property maintenance. Another motivation was providing a quality place to live for people who are priced out of luxury housing.

“I found it rewarding to make sure that they had a quality rental that was in their budget,” she said. “It wasn’t necessarily high-end … but making it look attractive. It wasn’t a luxury unit where people would be priced out.”

Morning Call reporter Evan Jones can be reached at ejones@mcall.com.