Housing Association and Development Corporation (HADC)

Housing Association & Development Corporation was formed in 1978 as a faith-based initiative led by First Presbyterian Church of Allentown after members of the congregation became alarmed about a cancer of urban blight that had begun to overspread Allentown's older residential neighborhoods. Executives from Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. were among HADC's founding board members, and the Trexlertown-based Fortune 500 Company has remained one of HADC's most consistent financial supporters for three decades. Over the years, Air Products has contributed more than $2 million to HADC.

In 2006, HADC attracted the corporate support and won approval from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to launch a Neighborhood Partnership Program in the 24-square block Jordan Heights target area. In 2011, HADC renewed the Neighborhood Partnership Program for another five years with long-term commitments of funding support from Air Products and Chemicals, First Niagara Bank, PPL Corporation and Wells Fargo. Together, through 2017, the four corporations will contribute $1.8 million. Funding received under the Neighborhood Partnership Program enables HADC to work on neighborhood revitalization inside the 24-square block Jordan Heights target area in central Allentown. In 2010, a multi-year commitment of funding from the Wells Fargo Regional Foundation became the basis of collaboration with Community Action Development Corporation of Allentown to expand HADC's Neighborhood Partnership Program and implement comprehensive renewal inside Jordan Heights.

When HADC began acquiring homes for rehabilitation and resale to low- to moderate-income home buyers, it was the only organization of its kind in the Lehigh Valley undertaking that kind of work. Over the course of 30 years, HADC has rehabbed about 250 residential properties. Although other agencies now perform housing rehabilitation work, HADC is the only organization working exclusively on the revitalization of Allentown.

In 2006, HADC began a project involving entirely new construction for the first time when it began building nine new townhouses on the 400 block of Allentown's North Street, scene of a fast-moving middle-of-the-night fire in 2004 that destroyed seven homes and damaged six others. After the fire, HADC purchased all 13 fire-wrecked properties along with three other blighted homes on the block and submitted a plan for neighborhood renewal. City officials could not remember an instance when a developer submitted a request to reduce the number of building lots on a site and to construct fewer homes than actually allowed. In 2010, HADC launched Phase 2 of the North Street project, beginning construction on 16 more townhouses, four of them accessible under standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

In 2002, HADC abandoned the use of subcontractors on its development projects and instead hired its own construction crew to do the work. Today the crew numbers 18, almost all of them neighborhood residents. Most joined HADC with few job skills and poor work histories. They work for HADC as apprentices, earning full-time wages and benefits while receiving on-the-job training in the building trades. HADC is a Certified Work Site of the Lehigh Valley Workforce Investment Board, providing on-the-job instruction to recruits receiving federal job-training benefits under programs of the Private Industry Council of the Lehigh Valley.


Home About Board History Programs Homes for Sale Supporters News Contact		Housing Association & Development Corporation was formed in 1978 as a faith-based initiative led by First Presbyterian Church of Allentown after members of the congregation became alarmed about a cancer of urban blight that had begun to overspread Allentown's older residential neighborhoods. Executives from Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. were among HADC's founding board members, and the Trexlertown-based Fortune 500 Company has remained one of HADC's most consistent financial supporters for three decades. Over the years, Air Products has contributed more than $2 million to HADC. In 2006, HADC attracted the corporate support and won approval from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to launch a Neighborhood Partnership Program in the 24-square block Jordan Heights target area. In 2011, HADC renewed the Neighborhood Partnership Program for another five years with long-term commitments of funding support from Air Products and Chemicals, First Niagara Bank, PPL Corporation and Wells Fargo. Together, through 2017, the four corporations will contribute $1.8 million. Funding received under the Neighborhood Partnership Program enables HADC to work on neighborhood revitalization inside the 24-square block Jordan Heights target area in central Allentown. In 2010, a multi-year commitment of funding from the Wells Fargo Regional Foundation became the basis of collaboration with Community Action Development Corporation of Allentown to expand HADC's Neighborhood Partnership Program and implement comprehensive renewal inside Jordan Heights. When HADC began acquiring homes for rehabilitation and resale to low- to moderate-income home buyers, it was the only organization of its kind in the Lehigh Valley undertaking that kind of work. Over the course of 30 years, HADC has rehabbed about 250 residential properties. Although other agencies now perform housing rehabilitation work, HADC is the only organization working exclusively on the revitalization of Allentown. In 2006, HADC began a project involving entirely new construction for the first time when it began building nine new townhouses on the 400 block of Allentown's North Street, scene of a fast-moving middle-of-the-night fire in 2004 that destroyed seven homes and damaged six others. After the fire, HADC purchased all 13 fire-wrecked properties along with three other blighted homes on the block and submitted a plan for neighborhood renewal. City officials could not remember an instance when a developer submitted a request to reduce the number of building lots on a site and to construct fewer homes than actually allowed. In 2010, HADC launched Phase 2 of the North Street project, beginning construction on 16 more townhouses, four of them accessible under standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act. In 2002, HADC abandoned the use of subcontractors on its development projects and instead hired its own construction crew to do the work. Today the crew numbers 18, almost all of them neighborhood residents. Most joined HADC with few job skills and poor work histories. They work for HADC as apprentices, earning full-time wages and benefits while receiving on-the-job training in the building trades. HADC is a Certified Work Site of the Lehigh Valley Workforce Investment Board, providing on-the-job instruction to recruits receiving federal job-training benefits under programs of the Private Industry Council of the Lehigh Valley.
		Housing Association & Development Corporation \| 513-515 Chew Street, Allentown, PA 18102 p: 610.432.6336 \| f: 610.432.5745 Site designed and developed by Carole Evans at PaWebDoctor Inc.

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