The Gold Rush
The Gold Rush Allentown received millions in pandemic relief, but can cash solve our housing crisis? By Lillian Bernstein This article was supported by a grant from Brown University’s Royce Fellowship Reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government gave Allentown a windfall of over $57 million dollars in 2021 to support the city’s recovery. […]
Allentown’s Commission to End Chronic Homelessness failed to do so, what can we learn from their mistakes?

Over the past year, the Commission on Homelessness has seen lower attendance rates at each monthly meeting. As Allentown’s city officials struggle to find a clear path towards ending homelessness, we look at the now defunct Commission to End Chronic Homelessness to help understand where we might go next.
Ignacio Patricio

real estate investor My parents did real estate, but they never really talked about it. hey speak Spanish; they don’t know any English. So, they just ran into accidental real estate right around when the market crashed in ‘08. I graduated from Dieruff. You know, I did OK in high school, but I really became […]
Kenny Cruz

Allentown L.E.A.D. coordinator, Real Estate Lab graduate I’m currently a 24-year-old Latino here in Allentown. I graduated from Penn State in May of 2020. I was doing engineering at first, and I would be walking to a class for engineering. But I’d be walking, not motivated, to get to class. Why is everybody else walking […]
Manica Levy

Allentown real estate investor I always knew I wanted to be a realtor; I wanted to put people in homes and invest in myself. I went to Scott White [to obtain my real estate license], which is located in Bethlehem, and because of COVID, I did everything online. I would work my normal job Monday […]
Mathew Pezon

Real Estate Lab director A personal story I think people want to hear? Well as it relates to real estate, I would say that real estate has changed everything for me and helped me to learn about investment. I’m from Allentown was born here and investing for me has been a way to improve Allentown, […]
Tiny homes as a solution to homelessness

With more people struggling to find housing in Allentown, we revisit the tiny homes proposal.
Will the Waterfront bring gentrification?

As the waterfront redevelopment takes shape, residents are left wondering how the investment will impact them.
Renters rights

““The goal in Allentown is to educate renters about their rights, and to continue to advocate for better rental conditions as well as push for action to be taken against absentee landlords and slumlords who are exploiting renters.”
Preserving Allentown’s past

The complicated journey to get funding for restoration of the historic Americus Hotel property located in the heart of the city’s Neighborhood Improvement Zone.