The Lancaster County Redevelopment Authority (LCRA) is a chartered Quasi-governmental agency originally created for the oversight and administration of funding provided to the county by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Since its creation in 1974 the Redevelopment Authority has expanded in scope to provide services directly to low- and moderate-income residents of Lancaster County, excluding Lancaster City which is served by its own Redevelopment Authority.
The Lancaster County Housing Authority was established in 1981 and is designated by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) at PA090. The Housing Authority is the Public Housing Authority (PHA) for the County of Lancaster, outside of Lancaster City which is served by its own Public Housing Authority.
The Lancaster County Land Bank Authority was established in 2017 and currently operates in five municipalities in the county who have joined as members; all municipalities in the county are eligible for membership in the Land Bank. The Land Bank is focused on the revitalization of vacant and underutilized properties, mitigating and deterring blight to create strong neighborhoods. As of January 2023 the Land Bank Authority has completed 8 projects, and has 11 in progress.
The Lancaster County Redevelopment Fund, Inc. was established in 2016 and is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a mission of creating affordable housing through thoughtful community development. The Fund is focused on the rehabilitation of blighted properties, returning them to active uses as part of thriving communities.
Local social service providers originally formed the Lancaster County Homelessness Coalition circa 1984 as the Interagency Council on Homelessness. In 2009 that Council was incorporated into the County’s Behavioral Health and Developmental Services division and functioned as a department within the county government system, at this point the name was changed to the Lancaster County Coalition to End Homelessness. In 2015, both the coalition and its support office (the Office for the Coalition) moved from the county government system to Lancaster General Health and became a division of the hospital system that enabled it to also become part of a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. The name once again changed after strategic planning concluded in 2018 and is now known as the Lancaster County Homelessness Coalition. In early 2022, the Lancaster County Homelessness Coalition transitioned to the Lancaster County Redevelopment Authority, which assumed the Office for the Coalition and integrated into LCRA’s Human Services Department. The Coalition is the lead agency for the Continuum of Care (CoC) for Lancaster County, designated as PA-510 by HUD.
The Lancaster County Reentry Coalition was established in 2006 as the Reentry Management Organization (RMO) with various nonprofit and community benefit organizations as participants. RMO was housed at the Lancaster County Workforce Investment Board (WIB) which served as the fiscal agent. In 2015 WIB moved to terminate the arrangement and the Community Action Partnership (CAP) became the fiscal agent in January 2016. In 2018 the name was changed to the Lancaster County Reentry Coalition. In 2021 the coalition changed from a board structure for oversight to a steering committee of 16 members. In September 2022 the coalition moved from CAP to the Lancaster County Redevelopment Authority, under the department of Human Services.