Interview with North Penn Advocates

As one in a series of interviews with local leaders who are working to help our food-insecure neighbors, and neighbors experiencing homelessness, North Penn Advocates recently sat down with the Montco 30% director, Mike Hays.

This interview was originally published by Media News Group.

Question: What is most satisfying about your work with “The Montco 30% Project?

Answer: Making connections with different people in Montgomery County and hearing their stories. Sadly, some of them live in cars or tents. This made me realize how tough things are for many, including working people. I want to help enact laws to get new funding for housing “new workers” like teachers, social workers, medical personnel, retail workers, first responders, and others who earn low to moderate incomes, and for senior citizens on fixed incomes. It’s been great to partner with others who are also trying to help people with this issue.

Q: What does The Montco 30% Project do? What does the name mean?

A: Our mission is to advocate for housing policy solutions for the people of Montgomery County. We speak out at local council meetings, the Norristown County Courthouse, and in our state capitol. Our name means that too many of our families and individuals spend more than 30% on housing — a number that burdens budgets, financially straining and stressing people out. Actually, one in eight households in PA spend 50% or more of their income on housing. When housing takes too much of a personal budget, people are forced to sacrifice in other areas, like healthcare, education, or saving for their future.

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Q: Do you get any push-back? How do you counter it?

A: Some folks think those who are struggling with housing are struggling because they didn’t work hard enough. There are thousands of people who are working multiple jobs but still can’t break into the housing market; $400,000 is the median cost of a home in Montgomery County, so much pricier than starting homes years ago. There are also misconceptions that those who are unhoused have addiction or mental health problems. While some do and they need assistance, many people experience “bad breaks” and lose whatever savings they’ve built. A Federal Reserve Board SHED report study shows that nearly half of Americans say they could not financially handle a $400 emergency.

Q: Tell me three ways a community member can help you reach your goals.

A: Attend public meetings and hearings to speak up in favor of affordable housing, armed with basic facts and accurate information. Share your story, your own struggle with finding housing. Use creativity to post the reasons you support affordable housing on social media, or in a letter to the editor; add your voice to the chorus! Have a conversation with your uncle, neighbor, or co-worker, about why high-quality, affordable housing is so needed, and so valuable to us all. Make a financial contribution to our work. Did you know that by 2030, one-third of the PA population will be over 60? Those living strictly on Social Security will be paying 70% of their income on housing.

Q: Have you seen positive growth from volunteers?

A: Some people who learn about this issue are inspired to get involved. An Op Ed piece about student homelessness moved one reader to volunteer; she was homeless when she was a student. She knew from personal experience how difficult her life had been. We have volunteers all over the county who have educated themselves on the issues so they can speak out  in favor of good proposals.

Q: Is there a new local housing project “in the works?”

A: The “Cornerstone at Pennbrook” was first proposed in 2022, and won unanimous zoning approval by the Upper Gwynedd commissioners.The next vote will be the land development stage, and if approved, builders can get “shovels in the ground.” It’s the exact type of housing we should be building as it would have 1-3 bedrooms, be close to public transportation, an office park, and jobs, and be located in North Penn, a good school district. Families, individuals, or senior citizens who earn $44,000-$66,000 could afford to live there. We need supporters to attend these meetings, which might occur this summer.

Q: How will affordable housing benefit our community overall?

A: PA has been underbuilding since the 2008 recession; there isn’t enough housing as we can all see by the increasing number of unhoused people in every town. There should be a place for people of all incomes to live. We can have vibrant, healthy communities, a good work force, and small shops that thrive without draining our resources. We can have well-staffed schools, not teachers working 2-3 jobs to exist. If citizens aren’t rent-burdened, it helps us all.

For more information visit the website: montco30percent.com. Mike’s email: montco30percent@gmail.com