Angel Housing Solutions (AHS), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to increase affordable rental housing in Bucks County, has chosen a duplex in Warminster as its first site.
AHS purchases, refurbishes, and converts properties into “permanently affordable rental housing for families in Bucks County,” according to its board member and co-founder, Kathleen Beveridge.
The rental is a two-bedroom, one-bath home that will be subsidized by the other three units in the duplex. Each has a yard and its own laundry. In other words, the tenant pays minimal or no rent that increases “incrementally, as the tenant’s finances grow more stable,” says Beveridge. The remaining three units are rented at market rate.
Rents have risen by 12 to 15 percent in Bucks County every year since 2020, according to AHS’s research, and the average monthly rent in the county is anywhere between $1,467 and $2,144 for a one-bedroom apartment, according to the Rentometer and Apartment List websites.
With approximately 80 families in Bucks County currently looking for affordable rental housing, AHS is proud to establish a home here in Warminster for a single mother with two small children. “It is our goal to lift one Bucks County family at a time out of the too often intractable cycle of poverty that comes with not being able to find affordable rental housing,” says Beveridge.
When asked, “Why Warminster?” Beveridge responded wholeheartedly that, after a nearly two-year search, they chose Warminster because it is a “friendly place for people from different backgrounds, income levels and diversity.” She also said that “transportation is easily accessible with the SEPTA train station and numerous bus lines,” as well as many activities for families with young children, including offerings by Warminster Parks and Recreation, Warminster Library, Warminster YMCA, and numerous childcare facilities.
Board of Supervisors Treasurer Mary Owens says she is delighted that AHS has chosen Warminster as its first site and agrees that the township offers a variety of “easy-to-access” options in transportation, activities, and daycare.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, AHS’s properties are “nonprofit-owned and funded by private philanthropy,” not to be confused with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Section 8 housing, a federal assistance program that helps low-income families afford safe and clean rental housing in the private market. “We are neighbors helping our neighbors in need. Our mission is to increase the supply of affordable rental housing in Bucks County,” says Beveridge.
Board of Supervisors member Janice Charlton agrees and says that the numerous affordable grocery stores “within walking distance or easy transportation by bus” to the Speedway, York Road, and other neighborhoods will be a relief to this young mother who is finding her feet here in Warminster.
AHS is partnering with the Bucks County Opportunity Council and Woodside Church in Yardley, both for recommendations of tenants in need as well as funding. Pastor Doug Hoglund says Woodside has been involved with caring for its homeless neighbors for seventeen years through Code Blue. But they want to assist families “without a home.” They learned about AHS through their work with Bucks County Opportunity Council, says Hoglund, and are “delighted to be in partnership with both organizations to help families rise from poverty to self-sufficiency.” His church donated $71,000 to subsidize one apartment for a family for four years. “We believe this is the beginning of a long-term relationship between our three organizations,” he says.
Beveridge is excited about Woodside’s support and hopes that this will “inspire others to join us” through donations, larger corporate gifts, or gifts of property. Beveridge shares that many houses are either “rented out as Airbnbs” or families purchase a property and just “hold on to it without renting it,” which prevents families from finding affordable rental properties.
The AHS mission states that “Housing transforms lives. Affordable housing is not only a necessity but also a springboard for financial security. We provide opportunities for low-income residents of Bucks County, especially single women who are heads of their household, to stabilize their lives and achieve their dreams.”
AHS was founded by Joe Baumhauer, Kathleen Beveridge, and Sophia Wisniewska in 2022, with the late Carol A. Baumhauer as the “angel” in Angel Housing Solutions, according to Beveridge. Click here to learn more or to donate either financially or by donating property. The location of the rental property is being kept private to protect the new rental family.