Upper Darby unveils draft $2.31 million consolidated plan for housing, services and downtown projects

Upper Darby Township officials presented a draft 2026–2030 consolidated plan and the Program Year 52 annual action plan and invited public comment through July 14. The draft allocates federal entitlement funds across housing rehabilitation, homelessness interventions, public facilities, downtown economic development and social services.

Kate Molinaro, director of community development at MNL Associates, the township's technical consultant, said the draft identifies three entitlement allocations for Program Year 52: $1,682,877 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, $482,904.58 in HOME Investment Partnerships Program funds and $148,120 in Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funds. "If the plan is not submitted to HUD by this date, the township will lose their funding for the year," Molinaro said, noting the statutory HUD deadline in mid‑August.

The team combined quantitative data (American Community Survey, Continuum of Care and point‑in‑time counts, real‑estate data) with qualitative feedback from seven virtual stakeholder meetings and a public survey. Molinaro said 67 stakeholder organizations were invited to participate and the final plan will include a citizen‑participation appendix listing invitees and attendees.

The draft plan identifies six strategic goals for 2026–2030: improve access to affordable housing; improve public facilities and infrastructure; provide homeless housing and services; support economic development; provide other public services; and planning and administration. Specific draft spending proposals include a HOME‑funded housing rehabilitation activity ($434,614.13) to provide grants and deferred forgivable loans to low‑ and moderate‑income homeowners to address code deficiencies and environmental hazards; a proposed $500,000 CDBG housing rehabilitation line; and an ESG allocation directed to an "Upper Darby ESG 26" program for street outreach, emergency shelter operations, rehousing and the HUD‑required homeless management information system.

Molinaro said the draft reserves $600,000 in CDBG for public facilities and improvements and $100,500 for downtown economic development initiatives (acquisition, rehabilitation, exterior improvements, and potential facade programs). She also noted administrative caps — no more than 20% of CDBG and a 10% HOME administrative limit — and listed draft administration amounts (CDBG administration: $229,945.45; HOME administration: $48,290.45).

Up to 15% of the CDBG allocation may fund public‑service activities. The draft lists four proposed public‑service awards for Program Year 52: $120,000 for Cobbs Creek Housing Services and the Life Center of Eastern Delaware County for emergency shelter operations and case management; $60,000 for Murphy's Giving Market food pantry; $40,000 for a domestic abuse legal‑advocacy satellite office in Upper Darby; and $32,431.55 to the Foundation for Delaware County to operate an eviction‑prevention program providing case management, civil legal aid and financial literacy.

During the public‑comment period, residents asked how the township will publicize opportunities and how subrecipients were chosen. Scott Alberts, the township's program manager for community and economic development, described outreach and procurement practices: the township advertises opportunities, invites previous and prospective subrecipients, accepts proposals through an RFP process, scores proposals with a review panel and ranks awards primarily by score while making adjustments based on past performance or cost‑per‑participant.

Lee Jordan asked where to find the full list of stakeholder organizations; Molinaro replied that the final plan submitted to HUD will include a citizen‑participation and consultation summary and supporting appendix and cited HUD's required stakeholder list in 24 CFR Part 91.

Murphy's Giving Market's director, Kira Raffalidis, described operations in Upper Darby and urged continued support. "In the first six months of 2026, we have served 6,321 households," Raffalidis said, adding an average cost of $4.56 per person and noting the pantry's volunteer base (more than 100 volunteers) and plans to convert basement space into a care‑coordination room.

Officials said written comments and survey responses will remain open through Tuesday, July 14; the draft plan is scheduled for township council consideration at its regular meeting on July 15, and the township intends to submit the final plan to HUD well before the statutory mid‑August deadline. Organizers also said a phone number displayed on the meeting slides contained a typo and will be corrected when slides are posted on the township website.