DSHA director: Affordable housing is Delaware’s biggest issue

September 27, 2023 5

Addressing members of the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce, Delaware State Housing Authority Director and congressional candidate Eugene Young said affordable housing is the biggest issue in the state.

“We have to work together on this,” said Young. “It’s the biggest issue in the state, hands down.”

The chamber resumed its monthly membership luncheons Sept. 20. Young was asked to be the first speaker, and as DSHA director, he was there to talk about an issue near and dear to the people in the room – the lack of affordable housing in Sussex County and the state as a whole.

Young said people are moving to the state in droves and there’s not enough affordable housing to accommodate the new residents. There needs to be deeper conversations about zoning and the promotion of different types of units, he said.

Young estimates the state needs about 21,000 units to meet the growing demand. He said the main issue is that single-family detached homes are far and away the majority of the homes built. In Delaware, he said, 60% of homes are single-family detached, and that number grows to 80% or 85% in Kent and Sussex counties.

It’s creating a situation where the children of families growing up in Sussex aren’t going to be able to afford to live where they grew up, said Young, noting the options are primarily single-family homes or high-end apartments.

There’s not enough affordable housing units in eastern Sussex, he said, adding that what’s missing are options like duplexes, triplexes or quadplexes. These are the people who are going to serve the community, he said.

Part of the problem, Young said, is that the state hasn’t contributed enough to affordable housing programs. The state has provided $10 million per year since 1998, and $1 doesn’t go as far today as it would have many years ago, he said.

There needs to be more large-scale, affordable housing, said Young. There needs to be units, units, units, he said.

Young was appointed to his DSHA director position by Gov. John Carney in May 2021. He is one of three Democrats who have announced their candidacy for Delaware’s lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. The others are state Sen. Sarah McBride, D-Wilmington, and state Treasurer Colleen Davis. They are seeking to replace sitting Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester, who is running for the seat of retiring Sen. Tom Carper.

Next month’s speaker

The chamber has already announced its guest speaker for October – Delaware Division of Paid Leave Director Chris Counihan. Counihan will speak about the newly enacted Delaware Paid Leave program and its impact on business. Counihan has been director since January.

In May 2022, legislation was signed into law creating a statewide paid family and medical leave insurance program, which offers eligible Delaware workers up to 12 weeks of paid leave to address a worker’s own serious health condition; to care for a family member with a serious health condition; to bond with and care for a new child; or to address the impact of a family member’s military deployment.

Statewide paid family and medical leave will go into effect Jan. 1, 2025. Delaware is the 10th state along with Washington, D.C., to offer a paid family and medical leave program.

The luncheon will take place at noon, Tuesday, Oct. 3, at Rehoboth Ale House on the Mile, 20859 Coastal Hwy., Rehoboth.