MILFORD, Del. - The Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA) announced $3.4 million in preliminary project awards through its 2025 Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) cycle. The funding will support the creation of 105 new affordable units and preserve 116 existing ones across four development projects statewide.
"Increasing housing supply, particularly by building new affordable rental units, is one of the many ways we can begin to solve the housing crisis in Delaware," said DSHA Director Matthew Heckles. "Like Governor Matt Meyer, we believe housing is a human right."
This project was the focus of a recent celebration attended by state leaders, developers and community members in Milford. The site will undergo a significant rehabilitation, preserving 32 existing units and adding 16 new ones as part of an effort to expand affordable housing in the area.
"The more housing we make affordable and high quality, the more places people have to live," Heckles said.
DSHA announced $3.4 million in preliminary project awards that will fund the creation of new affordable housing.
Arthur Edwards, President of The Severn Companies, noted that high-quality housing can have lasting generational impacts.
"The substantial renovation... as the governor talked about, increases the ability for our kids to have better housing. They do better in school," Edwards said.
DSHA announced four winning projects that are part of the state's Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program. The projects included are:
- Village of Francis and Clare, Wilmington - The first high-rise DSHA is allocating LIHTC credits to, this will be a senior site bringing 51 units in a new construction project.
- Willows at Northstar, Lewes - An area of opportunity, this site is part of a larger master-planned development that incorporates affordability into market rate development. This project will bring 46 units in new construction.
- Georgetown Apartments I, Georgetown - This project preserves existing rental subsidy contracts and with Georgetown II Apartments soon to be renovated with LIHTCs, it is contributing to substantial improvements of a larger community. Georgetown Apartments I will preserve 76 units.
- Mispillion Station III, Milford - This preservation project of 40 units is part of a multi-phase improvement plan to the Mispillion community.
"These four LIHTC awards will enable developers of these projects to leverage their investments to provide much-needed affordable housing to state residents," said Stephanie Griffin, DSHA’s chief production officer. "In Delaware, we are more than 19,000 rental units short of what we need to house residents especially those who need affordable housing."
Governor Matt Meyer emphasized the long-term impact of such investments across the state.
"When you create units like they’re creating here in Milford like the ones in Lewes, Georgetown, and up in Wilmington, it’s transforming lives for hundreds and hundreds of Delaware families. For thousands of families," Meyer said.
The LIHTC program, created by Congress in 1986, is the nation’s largest federal program for affordable housing construction and preservation. DSHA says it has administered the program in Delaware since 1987, helping add more than 10,000 affordable units to the state’s housing inventory.
As Delaware continues to face rising housing costs and limited supply, state leaders say these projects represent a step toward meaningful, lasting change one affordable unit at a time.