EASTON, Pa.- An apartment building that provides affordable housing options in Easton will be getting some much-needed upgrades, thanks to a highly coveted federal grant.

The Ferry Street Overhaul project was awarded $1.2 million as part of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh (FHLBank) Affordable Housing Program (AHP).

The money will be used for renovations at 600 Ferry Street, a three-story, 10-unit building that opened its doors in 1991.

“Over the years, this building has provided continuous housing to women and children coming out of shelters,” said Ellen Larmer, a housing development officer for Valley Housing Development Corporation, the project’s sponsor. “While they’re living there, their rent is subsidized by the Easton Housing Authority.”

The building has been maintained but not significantly updated since its opening, Larmer said. The grant will pay for projects that include a new roof and new siding on the outside, as well as new flooring and updated kitchens and bathrooms inside each unit.

The funding is part of $53.7 million awarded for the 2025 round of AHP grants in Pennsylvania.

FHLBank member financial institutions partner with developers to apply for grants or subsidized loans to buy, build or rehabilitate affordable rental and owner-occupied homes.

Households earning at or below 80% of the area median income are eligible to live in an AHP-funded home. 

Larmer said the grant approval process is very competitive: “They receive applications from all over the country. 160 applications were received, and they picked 51.”

The funding comes in the form of a reimbursable, meaning the work must be completed upfront before it’s paid back by the grant money. 

And along with the AHP funding, Valley Housing Development Corporation is also welcoming a new partnership with Easton’s Third Street Alliance to provide support services for those living at 600 Ferry Street. “We’re looking forward to another 20 years, and that’s really the point of the money is to reset the project for another 20 years,” Larmer said. “So we’ll have all the systems upgraded, a new partner, and we’ll be cooking for a long time.”