Erie-area citizens have identified housing affordability as a key concern in the Erie region.
KEVIN FLOWERS/ERIE TIMES-NEWS
USA TODAY Network, Reuters
Residents will soon have another opportunity to share their views on the various housing challenges facing the Erie region.
The city of Erie and representatives of Erie County government, among others, will host a Sept. 22 town hall meeting on the issue at East Middle School, 1001 Atkins St. The event will begin at 6 p.m.
City officials said the event will give residents and opportunity to speak directly with various people working on housing-related issues in the region, express concerns, and ask questions about plans to improve housing in the area.
Before the event begins, a housing resource fair will take place starting at 5:30 p.m. Those who attend can find information from area organizations about housing resources and services available in the Erie area.
Various housing studies underway
The Sept. 22 meeting has been scheduled at a time when at least three ongoing initiatives are addressing housing affordability and related issues in the region.
The city is currently conducting a long-term affordable housing plan and has hired Pittsburgh-based Mullin & Lonergan Associates to conduct the housing study. It is examining homelessness, workforce-related housing, the city’s market-rate housing needs and other issues.
Mullin & Lonergan are expected to present recommendations later this year; its research also includes a gaps analysis that will determine how much quality owner-occupied and rental housing is available for people of various incomes.
Infinite Erie, a group that has created a strategic playbook designed to push community and economic development on various fronts – has also unveiled a regional housing plan.
Infinite Erie’s Housing Accelerator plan seeks to create 250 new housing units in the region and permanent supportive housing to the homeless.
Analysis related to that plan examines the supply and quality of housing in the Erie region; the cost of rent; blight; and a variety of other factors.
Further, an initiative called “Ideas for Change,” a city partnership with change.org, the online petition website and technology platform that allows users to create, sign and share petitions on various issues, identified affordable rental housing emerged as a top citizen concern.
Ideas for Change results can be viewed at www.ideasforchange.org/erie.
Affordability a chief concern
City officials have said previously that there is a significant need for quality, affordable housing for both renters and homebuyers in the city, and the amount that residents are spending on monthly housing costs is increasing.
Housing affordability, especially rental housing, has been a significant concern in Erie for years. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, 48% of the city’s nearly 45,000 housing units are rentals and more than 25% of the city’s residents live below federal poverty guidelines.
Further, according to census data, the average city renter spends nearly 40% of his/her income on housing expenses, which exceeds the national average of 25%. The median monthly rent for an apartment in Erie is currently $838, according to Zumper.com, a nationwide real estate platform.
Contact Kevin Flowers at kflowers@timesnews.com. Follow him on X at@ETNflowers.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie-area residents urged to voice housing concerns at Sept. 22 meeting
Reporting by Kevin Flowers, Erie Times-News / Erie Times-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Gary Horton, center, starts a public listening session for citizens to provide input on a new housing affordability strategy in Erie, Pa., on March 14. The session was held inside the Urban Erie Community Development Corporation, where Horton is CEO/President. GREG WOHLFORD/ERIE TIMES-NEWS USA TODAY Network, Reuters 
Housing First Erie, a project supported by Infinite Erie, plans to develop housing units here at the former Erie School District administration property at 148 W. 21st St., Erie. ERIE TIMES-NEWS FILE USA TODAY Network, Reuters
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This story was originally published September 20, 2026 at 4:30 AM.