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20 Delaware County renters face eviction each day. How can officials change that?

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20 Delaware County renters face eviction each day. How can officials change that?


The average Delco renter needs to work 1.4 full-time jobs to afford a 2-bedroom apartment

According to the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania, 20 renter households face an eviction filing in Delaware County. When compared to the rest of the Commonwealth, Delco has the fourth-highest eviction filings. Municipalities such as Glenolden, Upper Darby, Brookhaven and Lansdowne had a higher filing rate in 2023 than the county average.

Commanded by the Foundation for Delaware County’s Housing Opportunities Program for Equity (HOPE), the rental housing working group relied heavily on data in search of solutions for the more than 177,000 residents in rental housing.

Jordan Casey, director of HOPE, said many are at risk of losing their living quarters because the market is becoming “increasingly untenable.”

“The stark reality painted by our county data shows the county has an aging housing stock with 81% of the houses and apartments being built before 1978 and 60% of the county’s housing stock was built before 1960,” Casey said. “An aging housing inventory has greater potential risk associated with various physical hazards within the property.”

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Despite the aging inventory, Delco rental costs are higher than ever before.

“In order to afford a two-bedroom unit in Delaware County at what is considered the fair market rate of $1,470, one would need to make an hourly wage of $28.27 or the equivalent of an annual wage of $58,800,” Casey said. “If you are making them minimum wage, which is still a paltry $7.25, you would need to work 3.9 — we can call it four — full-time jobs to afford that rent. Thankfully, the average Delaware County renter makes more than minimum wage at $20.13 an hour. However, even at that wage, one would still need to work 1.4 full-time jobs to afford a two-bedroom unit at fair market prices.”

Jordan Casey, the Foundation for Delaware County’s Housing Opportunities Program for Equity, said the county and local stakeholders must capitalize on the momentum to keep communities together. (Kenny Cooper/WHYY)

Casey said renters must often pay far more than fair market rent as landlords charge more than what the unit should command. Now, Delaware County eviction rates have surpassed pre-pandemic levels, according to the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania.

At the beginning of their search, the rental housing group held discussions about the symptoms of Delco’s rental issues and the systemic barriers preventing change.

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The three priorities the group ended up with were eviction diversion, education, and supply.

“Our first and highest rank priority is a creation of an eviction diversion program to be clear. We are not advocating for an eviction moratorium or a halt to all evictions,” Casey said. “We are advocating for evictions to be rare and occur only in the most unavoidable circumstances.

Casey said they want to accomplish this by providing access to legal assistance, mediation services, financial counseling and “social service wraparound” in a phase-based approach.

In regards to education, the subgroup wants to fuel tenant empowerment while also engaging with landlords and municipalities.

“The supply group has prioritized seven key initiatives aimed at augmenting the affordable housing supply listed here in order of priority: model ordinances, funding a countywide housing market study, a county rental registry, a home repair program for landlords, funding to create an affordable renters insurance policy program, a NIMBY to YIMBY campaign and promotion of a transit-oriented development design and application,” Casey said.

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Casey called on Delco Council to bring these efforts online.

“We urge council to support policies that not only address the immediate challenges but also ones that lay the foundation for lasting stability for our residents,” Casey said. “As mentioned earlier this means supporting and revisiting and reforming existing housing ordinances, landlord tenant laws and zoning regulations to ensure they reflect the needs of our communities.”



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Delaware

Delaware County school employee accused of sex assault of minor in Texas

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Delaware County school employee accused of sex assault of minor in Texas


Authorities say a Delaware County school employee is accused of traveling to Texas to sexually assault a minor he met online.

What we know:

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Michael Robinson, 43, was taken into custody near Radnor Middle School where investigators say he worked as a paraprofessional.

Investigators believe Robinson traveled to Tyler, Texas in the summer of 2024 to meet a minor he had connected with online.

Robinson, according to U.S. Marshals, allegedly sexually assaulted the teen over the course of a weekend. 

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Delaware County school employee accused of sex assault of minor in Texas

Prosecutors in Smith County, Texas charged Robinson in December with Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child Under 15-years-old.

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Robinson is being held at a Delaware County jail where he is awaiting extradition to Texas.

What they’re saying:

U.S. Marshals in Pennsylvania said Robinson’s arrest shows that “sexual predators will always be pursued relentlessly.”

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The Radnor Township School District said Robinson has been placed on leave and will not have contact with students.

“Parents of the limited number of children to whom the employee was assigned were contacted by the administration immediately.”

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The district said it is cooperating with law enforcement and has “no information indicating misconduct involving district students.”

Crime & Public SafetyDelaware CountyNews



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Rehoboth cancels 2026 Polar Bear Plunge after major snowstorm

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Rehoboth cancels 2026 Polar Bear Plunge after major snowstorm


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Rehoboth Beach has canceled the upcoming 2026 Lewes Polar Bear Plunge and 5K Run to the Plunge as the Sussex County resort town continues dealing with the aftermath of last weekend’s snowstorm, organizers of the annual Special Olympics fundraiser said on Feb. 26.

“Rehoboth Beach is navigating significant challenges because of the snowstorm,” a Special Olympics Delaware email announced. “At present, the boardwalk and all beach crossings remain snow covered and many sidewalks throughout downtown Rehoboth are as well.”

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The plunge and 5K had been rescheduled to March 1 after severe weather conditions in late January caused it to be moved from its original Feb. 1 date.

The plunge will not be rescheduled for this year.

Last weekend’s storm brought nearly 2 feet of snow to parts of Sussex, closing hundreds of roads when trees and wires were downed. There were also power outages across the county, including Rehoboth Beach which had to restore power to its wastewater treatment facility.

Plunging for a cause

The polar bear plunge is one of Special Olympics Delaware’s more popular fundraisers, drawing more than 4,000 participants last year.

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In recent years, the event has been bringing in more than a million dollars for Special Olympics Delaware. Last year, plunge events drew $1.3 million, just shy of the record-breaking $1.5 million raised in 2024.

Alex Seymore, Special Olympics Delaware’s director of digital media, said the organization had already raised more than $1 million from this year’s event.

“We expect a small impact,” Seymore told Delaware Online/The News Journal. “But again, we’re showing that we’ve raised over a million dollars.

He added they are reviewing how the cancelation will impact them and their services.

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“It’s been just a couple hours, so we’re not completely positive how it will impact things in the long run,” he said. “We’re thankful for everybody that’s helped raise this money through this time.”

What is still occurring

While the plunge and 5k and been canceled this year, there are other indoor events that will continue as scheduled:

Feb. 27

  • 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. – pick up packets and souvenir sales for the Plunge and 5K Run to the Plunge at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center, 229 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach.

Feb. 28

  • noon to 2 p.m. ​Fire & Ice in the Atlantic Sands Ballroom, 1 Baltimore Ave, Rehoboth Beach.
  • 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Restaurant chili contest.
  • 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. – pick up packets and souvenir sales for the Plunge and 5K Run to the Plunge at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center, 229 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach.

Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.



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Trump Accounts for kids; are they available in Delaware?

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Trump Accounts for kids; are they available in Delaware?


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President Donald Trump touted his Trump Accounts for kids platform during his State of the Union address Tuesday, Feb. 24, months before the savings account program goes live this summer.

Roughly 63% of parents open bank accounts for the newborns and young children according to The Financial Brand, showing that in general, opening a bank accounts for your child is a good idea.

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But what, exactly, are Trump Accounts for kids, and does it make sense for you to open one for your child? Here’s everything you need to know.

Trump Account for kids explained

The IRS explained in a memo Trump Accounts will be available for any children under 18, with $1,000 seed money available for newborns and very young children.

That account will be seeded with federal government funds.

“A Trump account is a type of traditional individual retirement account that is established for the exclusive benefit of an eligible individual and that is designated at its establishment as a Trump account,” read the IRS’ Trump Accounts memo. “Upon an election under the pilot program, $1,000 is paid by the Secretary to the Trump account of an eligible child.

“An eligible child means a qualifying child who is born after December 31, 2024 and before January 1, 2029, who is a U.S. citizen, and for whom no prior pilot program election has been made.”

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The Trump Accounts website confirms parents do not need to make a contribution, but can deposit up to $5,000 a year into the interest-bearing account.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in comments published Jan. 28 a single $1,000 deposit into a Trump Account at birth should grow to an estimated $500,000 by the age of retirement.

When will Trump Accounts for kids lunch, and can I apply in Delaware?

Trump Accounts for kids will go live on Monday, July 5, and parents in Delaware are allowed to apply for the nationwide offering when it opens.

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Until then, you can visit the Trump Accounts website to add your name to the email list to get an update when the service goes live.

The IRS and U.S. Department of the Treasury released Trump Accounts guidance you can read before opening an account.

Problems with Trump Accounts for kids

While opening a Trump Account for your child may seem a good thing, TIME uncovered a few problems with President Donald Trump’s namesake account service.

“The program may be open to every child, but its benefits will flow overwhelmingly to families with the means to contribute thousands of dollars a year. What could have been a leveling tool instead risks becoming a widening wedge between the haves and the have-nots,” read a portion of TIME’s take. “For a family living paycheck-to-paycheck that is unable to add anything beyond the government’s $1,000 seed deposit, the balance reaches just $5,839 by age 18. “

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies echoed much of that sentiment, and said Trump Accounts for kids will have the opposite effect from its stated goals.

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Damon C. Williams is a Philadelphia-based journalist reporting on trending topics across the Mid-Atlantic Region.



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