News & Announcements

The City of Allentown has granted a zoning variance for a thirty-three-room single-room occupancy project, a significant step toward addressing the tremendous need for low-cost affordable housing options in the community.

Simple Living Alliance, a trade association for SRO operators, identified the marketplace need and worked with one of its member companies to petition the city. The variance approves the adaptive reuse of a former social hall on North Fourth Street in Allentown, a property that sat vacant for years after failed attempts at other uses, representing a win for the city and for those in need of affordable housing.

The effort was led by Gary Elbert, Executive Director of Simple Living Alliance, who provided extensive testimony on best practices and community need before the Zoning Hearing Board. Legal representation was provided by Erich Schock, Managing Partner at Fitzpatrick Lentz and Bubba.

The variance allows room sizes below Allentown's two-hundred-fifty-square-foot ordinance minimum, with four rooms at one hundred fifty square feet. Those smaller units can be priced at lower levels, making them reachable for residents with the least income, providing a model other cities and housing nonprofits can look to when their own minimums price people out.

Simple Living Alliance today voiced support for Pennsylvania House Bill 2109, which would bar municipalities from limiting the number of unrelated adults sharing a household, effectively reviving single-room occupancy housing statewide.

The Alliance's statement goes further, however, focusing on a second barrier that even pro-SRO legislation often misses: minimum room-size requirements. New York City Councilman Erik Bottcher introduced legislation in November 2025 to allow new SROs as small as one hundred square feet, a size that reflects what the marketplace actually builds and what lowest-income renters can afford. Meanwhile, cities like Allentown still enforce a 250-square-foot minimum, more than double the emerging national standard.

The Alliance also cited Allentown's housing shortage of more than 1,900 units today, projected to reach 5,300 over 25 years without intervention, and noted that SROs are among the fastest and cheapest ways to add units for the lowest-income renters. Pacific Legal Foundation research found that nine of Pennsylvania's ten most populous cities cap unrelated adults per household, making HB 2109 and room-size reform complementary pieces of the same solution.

Simple Living Alliance today unveiled its Seal of Approval, a voluntary certification program for SRO buildings that meet elevated standards of safety, maintenance, and resident services.

The certification evaluates buildings on egress compliance, shared-facility upkeep, pest control protocols, and resident services including case management referrals and community programming. It is explicitly framed as a “Good Housekeeping seal for SROs,” a recognizable mark that distinguishes well-run properties from the worst actors that have historically damaged the sector's reputation.

The first certified properties are expected in early 2025, with the program designed to expand as more operators join the Alliance.

Simple Living Alliance today launched its Operator Support Program, offering free technical assistance to SRO owners across the country.

The program provides guidance on fire safety compliance, energy retrofits, fair housing requirements, and shared-facility maintenance, the areas where small operators most often struggle to meet rising standards without deep pockets. Members contribute case studies and lessons learned so every participant benefits from collective experience.

Early participants include operators in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York, with expansion planned to additional states as the network grows. The program is funded entirely by member dues and does not accept outside sponsorship that could compromise its independence.

Simple Living Alliance today announced its formation as a voluntary association of independent owners of single-room occupancy (SRO) housing properties across the United States.

SROs represent the most affordable form of permanent housing available to the lowest-income renters, yet they remain unfairly stigmatized and heavily restricted by outdated zoning codes. The Alliance brings together property owners who share a commitment to safe, well-maintained, resident-centered housing.

Initial priorities include advocating for zoning reforms that recognize SROs as legitimate housing, developing shared best-practice guidelines, and creating a peer network for operators facing common challenges.