Delaware State Housing report finds lack of multi-family units, low-income housing

DELAWARE – A report from the Delaware State Housing Authority has found that over a period spanning from 2018 to 2023, single-family unit housing and supply has risen, at the same time as a drop in supply and new construction of Multi-family unit zoned houses across the state.

The report highlighted shortages in Western and Eastern Sussex counties, saying the rising home prices and zoning that accommodate largely traditional single-family unit plots have priced out working-class homeowners in the areas.

“We need more a diversity of units, not just single-family detached, which is overwhelmingly the largest number of all of the homes that are here in our state, we need duplexes, triplexes, quads, we need large scale apartment, we need more housing on the eastern side of Sussex,” said Delaware State Housing Authority Director Eugene Young.

Young tells 47ABC that out-of-state buyers are driving up home prices for the single-family detached units across the state, and the supply of alternative housing, including low-income has not kept up with the demands those buyers bring to the area for services.

“We are one of the top ten importing states per capita in the country and we are around other states that are in the top ten exporting states such as New York, such as Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts,” Young said adding “We need to have a diverse silo style of housing to meet the needs of everyone, us here and those who are coming in.”

Young tells 47ABC that the rising prices have affected all housing, but in a state where affordable units make up less than 3 percent of overall housing inventory, a lack of development and maintenance of multi-family zoned units is pricing out the working class.

“They can’t afford a single-family detached home, and so we’re losing out on a potential workforce at different levels, entry-level college students or people who work with their hands who just want to find a quality place to live for their family,” he said.

In Sussex County alone, the report found an additional 1,000 units would be needed to keep up with current demand, a  measure supported by Senate District Six Senator Russ Huxtable.

“The state is stepping up to the plate this year, investing an additional $100 million into the affordable housing issue. But that needs to continue year after year because we need a thousand units a year for families making less than 80% of the median income,” Huxtable said.

He tells us that will mean more multi-family units in his district, something he says is a necessary change and will benefit those moving into the district with an expectation of services, and workers to staff them.

“If they’re expecting that same quality of life, we need to be open to all sorts of new developments,” Senator Huxtable said.

Senator Tom Carper was in attendance at the work session presenting the report and says federal resources, along with state and local partners must be tapped into for more housing stock to make its way to market.

“We’re making some fine-tuning, some major, major housing tax credits, i’m a part of that and we’re going to continue to do that, everything we do, I know we can do it better, including our tax code,” he said.