By Elle Wood

HARRINGTON — The city is working to stem the housing crisis one step at a time.

The Diamond Court Apartments were originally built in 1986. They are now a part of a project to create affordable housing in the city.

Harrington Mayor Duane Bivens is excited for the upgraded homes off Peck Avenue to become a part of the city’s plan to help families find a home.

“Affordable housing for us is something that we look favorably upon,” said Mayor Bivens. “The quest for the young folks who are just coming out of college looking for affordable homes have student loans and all those other things.”

Green Street Housing, of Salisbury, Maryland, is the developer of the project. They are working to do a complete renovation of each of the apartments and include various amenities while pursuing the National Green Building Standard certification program.

Although Green Street Housing is developing the project, it has received assistance from many organizations, including the Delaware State Housing Authority, the city of Harrington and Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh.

“It takes a village to build a village,” said Chase Powell, the director of development for Green Street Housing.

U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., has been active in the Harrington community, helping with various projects, including the one for Diamond Court Apartments.

She said she wants to stay involved with projects to help with affordable housing. She feels that it is important to provide others with what they need to prosper.

“I think about what it (having a home) does for someone’s self-worth, their dignity, what it does in terms of building generational wealth, what it does in terms of transforming communities, what it does for economic development and job creation,” said Rep. Blunt Rochester.

“It is just a no-brainer and, in an environment, where so many people are struggling to afford housing, this is a win-win-win.”

An affordable home in the Harrington area would be about $300,000. According to the data provided by the Lake Forest School District, Harrington residents are living at about a 70% poverty level, explained Mayor Bivens.

He said wants to ensure that the city continues to solve the issue of poverty and provide residents with resources.

“We don’t stop there and look at where we are,” said Mayor Bivens. “We look at where we want to go, want we want to do and how we are going to get there.”

He believes the Diamond Court Apartments project is one of the ways to a solution.

“To take on Diamond Court Apartments speaks lots of volumes about who we are and where we are going and who we are trying to help,” said Mayor Bivens. “Because you are taking that entity that has been there for 20 years or more and taking it from the house side of life to the home side of life.

“We just don’t want houses, we want people to find home ownership.”

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh held a ceremony at the Harrington Fire Hall on Thursday morning, bringing in several organizations and partners to tour the site.

Green Street Housing received a $750,000 grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh and Fulton Bank through the Affordable Housing Program.

The program was created by the Federal Home Loan Bank to provide grants and subsidized loans to housing developers.

“We are polishing up the diamond and taking it to a whole new level,” said Rep. Blunt Rochester.