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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | September 8, 2023 01:37 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Joe Webster |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Assessing the Affordable Housing Development Potential of Surplus State-Owned Property |
With rents increasing faster than people’s wages and housing starts falling behind demand, affordable housing is needed more than ever. As legislators, we must work to ensure everyone can find and keep their housing. The lack of affordable housing limits our ability to attract and retain workers, leaving Pennsylvania at a competitive disadvantage, and contributes to growing homelessness and its attendant social costs. One way to address the current housing shortage is to use surplus state-owned property for housing development. Land acquisition accounts for 15% to 35% of total development costs. However, leveraging surplus state-owned property can make more affordable housing development projects possible. To this end, I will be introducing legislation to require state agencies to collaborate with the Department of Community and Economic Development to assess the affordable housing development potential of their surplus properties, as part of the existing reporting process. Pennsylvania needs more affordable housing. The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates that Pennsylvania has a shortage of 267,000 affordable rental homes and this problem will not only persist – it will grow. Furthermore, the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania estimates that only 39% of extremely low-income families, seniors, and people with disabilities can afford their rent, with people of color more likely to struggle with unaffordable rents. Please join me in co-sponsoring this effort to help identify more opportunities to develop affordable housing. |
Introduced as HB1774