Habitat for Humanity branches and UD release study on Delaware’s housing repair needs

A new study conducted by University of Delaware researchers for Habitat for Humanity’s three Delaware offices underscored the role of home repair in addressing the state’s escalating shortage of affordable housing.

The research team’s nationwide survey came up with an estimate of 25,000 homes in need of repair. Of these, about 5,000 could be considered substandard, meaning they are in dire need of repair and at risk of becoming uninhabitable. The types of repairs required range from mold remediation to rebuilding foundations; In New Castle County, many of the homes in need of repair are in older neighborhoods of Wilmington, while in Kent and Sussex Counties, prefab communities have the greatest need for repairs.

The researchers note that putting off servicing homes until they become uninhabitable only exacerbates the state’s affordable housing crisis, potentially leaving low-income homeowners — many of them seniors — potentially homeless.

UD Biden School of Public Policy and Administration research director and associate professor Steve Metraux says essential repairs for these homes could cost nearly $100 million — an exponentially larger sum than the repair support funds currently available in Delaware of apartments.

“The gap between needs and resources is really big and I think that’s the story – even more so than the actual numbers,” he said. “As you start factoring in infrastructure costs, that number gets higher.”

These infrastructure costs could include improvements to septic or sewage systems – a need that is particularly urgent in rural settlements with prefabricated houses.

The research team also found that organizations providing repair services would need to maintain relationships with local governments, including adhering to historical preservation standards when conducting repairs, and recruiting translators and trusted messengers to reach out to Latino communities who are familiar with unusual Faced high barriers to access to home repairs services.

New Castle County Habitat Director Kevin Smith adds that the study did not address the need for repairs in Delaware’s rental stock — another tool used to alleviate the housing shortage.

“We’re short of 18,000 units of affordable housing and there are people living in rental housing that are either not affordable or not quality,” he said.

Smith says Philadelphia recently committed $45 million for repairs to both owner-occupied and rental homes — a precedent he thinks Delaware could follow.

Next year, Habitat for Humanity’s three Delaware offices plan to increase collaboration, including an expanded campaign to provide repairs to low-income homeowners.