Pembroke Village
Encyclopedia
Pembroke is a public housing
community in northeast Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
. The area was listed as a national historic district
on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1988.
purchased additional, adjoining lands, including an 86 acres (348,030 m²) farm. The intention was to build additional affordable housing in the area. Between 1952 and 1962, the Authority built 570 units which included Marvine Village (400 units), Fairmount Homes (120) and Pfeifle Homes (50). These three developments added to Pembroke created one large community collectively known as the Northeast Developments.
Over the years, the buildings have undergone many millions of dollars in renovations. Pembroke was renovated in the 1990s, Fairmount and Marvine twice each since the 1980s. Comprehensive renovations were recently completed at Pfeifle Homes.
Presently, 20 new homes are being built in the area near Fairmount, to be called Bayard Homes. They add to BHA's inventory and guarantee that 5 % of all BHA units are handicap-accessible
.
, with remaining people being either Caucasian
or African American
. As is the case with all low-income public housing, the community is made up of families, some seniors and some who are disabled.
has seen an influx of gangs from larger urban areas. It is thought that the completion of Interstate 78
in 1990 has contributed to this phenomenon. Despite this, official gang activities are limited in Bethlehem as evidenced by FBI crime statistics.
Public housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...
community in northeast Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
. The area was listed as a national historic district
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1988.
History
Originally built in 1941, the Pembroke project contained 202 units of low-income public housing and it was the first such project in the City. By the early 1950s, the Bethlehem Housing AuthorityBethlehem Housing Authority
The Bethlehem Housing Authority is a municipal authority which provides public housing in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1937 and the first housing projects were opened in 1941.-Properties:...
purchased additional, adjoining lands, including an 86 acres (348,030 m²) farm. The intention was to build additional affordable housing in the area. Between 1952 and 1962, the Authority built 570 units which included Marvine Village (400 units), Fairmount Homes (120) and Pfeifle Homes (50). These three developments added to Pembroke created one large community collectively known as the Northeast Developments.
Over the years, the buildings have undergone many millions of dollars in renovations. Pembroke was renovated in the 1990s, Fairmount and Marvine twice each since the 1980s. Comprehensive renovations were recently completed at Pfeifle Homes.
Presently, 20 new homes are being built in the area near Fairmount, to be called Bayard Homes. They add to BHA's inventory and guarantee that 5 % of all BHA units are handicap-accessible
Accessibility
Accessibility is a general term used to describe the degree to which a product, device, service, or environment is available to as many people as possible. Accessibility can be viewed as the "ability to access" and benefit from some system or entity...
.
Police service
Thanks to a long-term agreement between the housing authority and the City of Bethlehem, community police substations are a part of BHA properties, including the Marvine-Pembroke area. The community police concept is funded by BHA on an annual basis and in return, the BPD provides above baseline services for the community.Demographics
The population breakdown in Pembroke is roughly 70% HispanicHispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
, with remaining people being either Caucasian
Caucasian race
The term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...
or African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
. As is the case with all low-income public housing, the community is made up of families, some seniors and some who are disabled.
Gang Activity
Like many Pennsylvania communities, the Lehigh ValleyLehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
has seen an influx of gangs from larger urban areas. It is thought that the completion of Interstate 78
Interstate 78
Interstate 78 is an Interstate Highway in the Northeast United States, running 144 miles from Interstate 81 northeast of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, through Allentown, Pennsylvania, and western and northern New Jersey to the Holland Tunnel and Lower Manhattan in New York City.I-78 is a major road...
in 1990 has contributed to this phenomenon. Despite this, official gang activities are limited in Bethlehem as evidenced by FBI crime statistics.
Elementary
- Marvine Elementary School - Demographics: 8% White, 17% African American, 75% Hispanic, with 86% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch program.
- Lincoln Elementary School - Demographics: 34% White, 6% African American, 58% Hispanic, with 64% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch program.
- Freemansburg Elementary School - Demographics: 37% White, 8% African American, 54% Hispanic, with 69% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch program.
Middle
- Northeast Middle School - Demographics: 48% White, 13% African American, 38% Hispanic, with 53% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch program.