A Norristown public rally at 1:00 PM on Saturday, Apr. 29, will address the growing crisis of affordable housing in Montgomery County. Justin Heinze reported the event for the Montgomeryville-Lansdale Patch.

The event is being organized by the Montco 30% Project. The organization’s representatives said that the county’s homelessness rate and the housing crisis are inexcusable and a result of institutional failures.

The Montco 30% Project hopes to move county leaders to start working more closely with municipalities on improving zoning barriers and repurposing buildings that have been abandoned. This effort would help create more housing at below-market rates.

The nonprofit also believes that the state budget can be improved with more opportunities for grants for tiny home construction.

“Here, in the richest country in the world, people are struggling to find affordable housing in which to live and raise their families,” said State Rep. Izzy Smith-Wade-El.

“The lack of affordable housing is a crucial gap in the safety net that we must mend through strategic policies and programs that will increase affordable housing in our communities, protect existing affordable housing from physical deterioration, and support new affordable housing projects,” she commented further.

Read more about the rally, set for the steps of the Montgomery County Courthouse, in the Montgomeryville-Lansdale Patch.

_____

Vienna has a unique approach to its affordable housing issue.