For additional information, please contact Alyssa Slade at aslade@hobartsrunpottstown.org or 610-705-1018.
POTTSTOWN, PA – Hobart’s Run and the Pottstown Regional Community Foundation are joining forces to provide a limited time expansion of the Hobart’s Run Homeowner Incentive Program (HIP). This collaboration will offer financial assistance to a larger area of eligibility that includes the entire Equitable Transit-Oriented Development (ETOD) district of the Borough between Beech Street and Industrial Highway. This neighborhood is adjacent to the former train station at High and Hanover Streets, currently Pottstown Area Rapid Transit’s Charles W. Dickinson Transportation Center and the proposed site of the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority light rail station. The limited time, geographically expanded grant also will provide twice the $3,000 HIP amount normally awarded through Hobart’s Run, as the collaborative grant recipients will receive $6,000 each.
Simultaneously, Hobart’s Run will triple its $500 Façade Improvement Grant (FIG) awards through June 30, offering $1,500 for eligible Hobart’s Run residents.
These opportunities are made possible through a $36,000 grant offered by the Foundation to create and accelerate sustainable improvements in a significant section of downtown Pottstown, increasing community vitality and stability for the ETOD neighborhood’s residents.
Homeowner Incentive Program
Between now and June 30, 2026, individuals who purchase a home in either the Hobart’s Run focus area or the designated half-mile ETOD area can receive $6,000 toward closing costs and their purchase. Homebuyers applying for this incentive cannot have owned another home in the past two years and must be moving into homeownership out of a rental situation.
Approved applicants must maintain primary residence in the home. Although anyone purchasing a home in the eligibility district is encouraged to apply for the HIP grant, this program will prioritize long-term Pottstown residents — particularly renter households with established local tenancy — as primary beneficiaries.
Successful applicants will be required to participate in first-time homebuyer and financial literacy education.
Prospective homeowners may apply for the $6,000 incentive at hobartsrunpottstown.org/property-pride. Closing must occur on or before June 30, 2026, to receive the $6,000 grant. As noted, this limited-time incentive is twice the previously established Hobart’s Run HIP grant of $3,000.
Facade Improvement Grants
Thanks to the Foundation’s grant funding, which will cover HIP awards through June 30, Hobart’s Run will reallocate and increase funds budgeted for its Façade Improvement Grants (FIGs). The FIG program normally provides $500 for Hobart’s Run residents to make improvements enhancing street-facing “curb appeal.” However, through June 30, Hobart’s Run focus neighborhood applicants will be eligible for FIG grants up to $1,500, covering more substantive improvements. Prospective participants are encouraged to plan and book contractors soon if needed, as all projects must be completed by June 30 for this limited-time incentive increase.
“With the Foundation’s generosity and collaboration, we are working to create and enhance housing stability and quality of life near the proposed transit corridor as well as in our immediate focus area,” says Alyssa Slade, Executive Director of Community Engagement and Economic Development for Hobart’s Run.
“Importantly, by addressing homeownership and home improvements for Pottstown residents – many of whom have lived here for many years – we are preventing displacement that could potentially occur with economic development connected to the return of light rail to Pottstown,” Slade adds. “This targeted neighborhood revitalization will preserve existing housing stock and bring economic opportunity for Pottstown’s valued citizens.”
Collaboration, Community Development
To date, 11 residents have received a total of $55,000 through the Hobart’s Run HIP program, launched in 2019. The FIG program has awarded more than $18,000 in home improvement funds thus far.
“As the region prepares for the potential return of passenger rail service, strategic housing investment can drive inclusive economic growth, reduce displacement, and increase access to affordable housing, living-wage jobs, and reliable public transit — so that long-time Pottstown residents can continue to call these neighborhoods home,” says Howard Brown, Senior Program Officer for Pottstown Regional Community Foundation.
“This work reflects the Foundation’s longstanding collaboration with Hobart’s Run to support broader community development — from neighborhood revitalization and inclusive engagement to economic opportunity and quality-of-life improvements for Pottstown residents,” Brown adds.
Hobart’s Run is a 501(c)(3) launched by The Hill School in late 2016 to create a clean and safe neighborhood; foster inclusivity; provide incentives for home ownership and property pride; and generate quality, sustainable commercial and retail development. While specifically addressing a 900-parcel area, the nonprofit supports Pottstown-wide revitalization and engagement efforts. Its goals are summarized through its taglines: “Community Action. Neighborhood Pride. Real Progress.”