CAMBRIA COUNTY, Pa. (WJAC) — Why does Johnstown have the same amount of housing for a declining population?

It's a question posed by lawmakers and community leaders who say many empty apartments are being filled with people from Philadelphia and other cities -- who authorities say -- have been tied to crime in Johnstown.

Johnstown is a great place to live, to work, to raise a family. We want those individuals -- who are going to be here -- that are going to be contributing members of society. Not people that are coming here to prey on our citizens, or to take advantage of our community," said Senator Wayne Langerholc, (R)-35th.

Monday morning, local lawmakers hosted a Pennsylvania Senate Housing Committee Public Hearing at the Johnstown Conference Center to discuss just that.

Five people from Johnstown-based agencies testified, providing information to Senators from their point of view to help tackle those housing issues.

Cambria County District Attorney Greg Neugebauer verified that many people who commit crimes in Johnstown are not always from Johnstown.

Authorities say the rise of crime and drugs in the city oftentimes are tied to people who are not from our area.

"Make no mistake, we're not advocating that people should not be here, or should not be taking advantage of housing. What we are saying is, that there are people that are coming here, that serve no legitimate purpose to our community," Senator Langerholc told 6 News.

Michael Alberts, the Executive Director of the Johnstown Housing Authority, was questioned about who is approved to live in housing projects.

The JHA manages 1,504 public housing apartments.

They also help pay rent for 960 vouchers of Section 8 housing, and with only 741 filled, they still have about 200 vouchers left open.

"The vouchers have increased over the past ten to fifteen years, and our population has decreased. So, there needs to be some type of reform to enable that," Senator Langerholc told 6 News.

Greater Johnstown School District Superintendent Dr. Amy Arcurio also added to the conversation about the transient Johnstown population.

She says that 480 students either came or left the school district since August 1st, 116 of which came from Philadelphia.

Individuals need second chances, they need opportunities. But at the same time, when you are allowing an individual to rent in a community, I think it's incumbent upon the entity that's bringing them to the community and providing them with that housing voucher, to understand that they have a willingness, interest, and desire to be a productive citizen," said Senator Joe Pittman, (R)-41st.

Two officials with the 1889 Jefferson Center for Population Health also testified.

These authorities say the next step is coming up with tangible ways to address these housing project issues.

ncG1vNJzZmivmpawtcKNnKamZ56axLR7y6iamqRfpcKjuMicZKGdkae2r7OMqqyeq6SevK%2B%2FjLCfnqyYmr9usNGunqxlk6e2rrGMrKuepV2bv7C5jKOmoaajqby4uoyhpq6rmaO0brzRqKGem6So