Cumberland County approves Housing Authority annual and five-year plans

The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners voted March 13 to certify that the Cumberland County Housing Authority’s 2025 annual plan and five-year plan are consistent with the county’s consolidated plan.

The housing authority’s annual and five-year plans require a local official certification that the PHA plan aligns with the county consolidated plan; the county consolidated plan identifies affordable housing as a priority need, according to Peggy Schall of the housing authority. “The availability of housing to voucher holders throughout the county and public housing located within the borough meets this need by providing working families, seniors, and those with disabilities the ability to live in decent, safe and sanitary housing that is affordable to their families’ budgets,” Schall said.

During the presentation Schall summarized that the plans respond to local priorities identified in the consolidated plan and requested the board’s certification. The commissioners moved and seconded approval; a voice vote was recorded and the motion carried.

No changes to plan text or conditions were announced at the meeting; the housing authority sought only the certification of consistency required by the PHA planning process. The certification enables the Housing Authority to proceed with implementing plan items that rely on alignment with the county consolidated plan.

The board’s action was procedural: it confirms local concurrence with the PHA’s submitted plans and does not itself appropriate funds or change program rules. The housing authority will continue program implementation under the terms of the plan and any applicable state or federal requirements.