{"id":58361,"date":"2025-12-11T21:36:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T21:36:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/58361\/"},"modified":"2025-12-11T21:36:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T21:36:08","slug":"home-easton-new-nonprofit-tackles-affordable-housing-crisis-in-the-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/58361\/","title":{"rendered":"Home Easton: New nonprofit tackles affordable housing crisis in the city"},"content":{"rendered":"

As affordable housing<\/a> continues to be a pressing issue for Easton, a new city initiative aims to tackle it. <\/p>\n

The city formally introduced Home Easton<\/a>, a new housing development organization created to address affordability challenges, during a press conference Wednesday. <\/p>\n

The organization was established through the Easton Redevelopment Authority<\/a> in partnership with the city and has recently received its 501(c)(3) status.<\/p>\n

Michael Brett, deputy director of the Redevelopment Authority and interim executive director of Home Easton, said the initiative grew out of the city\u2019s Affordable Housing Task Force, which began meeting in 2018 and concluded its work in 2022.<\/p>\n

He described the long-running effort as focused on identifying \u201cgaps\u201d in the city\u2019s housing landscape and developing solutions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a housing development corporation that is really rooted in the mayor\u2019s Affordable Housing Task Force that was created in 2018,\u201d Brett said.<\/p>\n

Mayor Sal Panto Jr. said the task force\u2019s creation was intended to tackle one of the city\u2019s most pressing issues. <\/p>\n

He noted rising housing prices have made it increasingly difficult for longtime residents and families to afford homes in Easton.<\/p>\n

\u201cAffordable housing is the greatest challenge that any mayor comes across,\u201d Panto said.<\/p>\n

Home Easton is designed to function independently from the Redevelopment Authority in order to build partnerships and secure funding not typically available to government agencies, officials said.<\/p>\n

Brett said the nonprofit model will allow the organization to pursue private donations, fundraising opportunities and collaborations with local groups.<\/p>\n

\u201cHome Easton delivers long-lasting housing solutions through rehab, development and counseling, helping families and first-time home buyers achieve dreams of securing housing and home ownership while building strong communities,\u201d Brett said.<\/p>\n

Brett outlined a series of \u201ccore pillars\u201d that will guide its work, including providing Easton-based expertise, expanding access to homeownership, promoting safe housing opportunities and supporting households of all types.<\/p>\n

He said the organization is positioned to focus on both immediate needs and long-term planning to stabilize neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

Brett described the nonprofit\u2019s mission as broad but targeted, highlighting its focus on developing and rehabilitating housing, offering counseling to families and first-time homebuyers, and strengthening community ties through homeownership.<\/p>\n

Home Easton\u2019s initial staff includes Brett, program manager Haley Weber and project manager Mark Hammerstone, an Easton native who brings decades of experience in affordable housing work. <\/p>\n

Its 12-member board includes representatives from neighborhoods, local businesses, nonprofits and the Easton Housing Authority. Brett said the diverse perspectives are intended to strengthen decision-making and ensure the nonprofit\u2019s work reflects the needs of the broader community.<\/p>\n

Councilman Frank Pintabone, who represents City Council on the Home Easton board, said Home Easton will be able to support the city in dedicating time and effort to affordable housing needs. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think Home Easton just really shows the city\u2019s commitment to affordability here,\u201d Pintabone said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As affordable housing continues to be a pressing issue for Easton, a new city initiative aims to tackle…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":58362,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[153,155,154],"class_list":{"0":"post-58361","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bethlehem","8":"tag-bethlehem","9":"tag-bethlehem-headlines","10":"tag-bethlehem-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58361","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58361"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58361\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58362"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}