Milford City Council heard from affordable housing advocates at a recent work session.
“We see more and more people who are becoming homeless for the first time," said Delaware State Housing Authority Director Matthew Heckles. "We're seeing more and more people who are becoming homeless for what I like to call economic reasons. Think about a retired couple who is on fixed income, Social Security. Their income has not gone up to keep up with 50% increases in rent.”
Heckles noted a big part of the problem is Delaware is not building housing that promotes affordability. That means more density - something many local zoning codes don’t allow. DSHA is taking steps to change that, with a program that partners municipalities with experts who can recommend housing-friendly changes to their zoning.
Heckles adds affordable housing is a full spectrum problem, where affordability problems affecting higher-income people trickles down the economic scale, pushing people at the bottom into homelessness or housing insecurity.
The cost and availability of housing is a growing problem, both in Milford and statewide. Speaking to city council members, Heckles underscored the need for more density than most of the area’s zoning laws allow.
“You guys here in Milford see it every day," he said. "It's large houses that are spread out, 2 units per acre, and that house is probably going to cost around $500,000 to $600,000 to $800,000 or more.”
Kevin Gilmore with Sussex County Habitat for Humanity echoed the call for more housing density.
“In some environments, that's a bad word," Gilmore said. "But really, I think Matt did a really good job of contextualizing that as how when it's thought through and it's planned, it can really help create affordable housing.”
Milford seems to be taking steps to revamp its zoning laws. It is one of several municipalities in the state joining the State Housing Authority program providing experts to evaluate zoning codes and recommend changes that promote affordable housing.
