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Pennsylvania State Senate
04/18/2024 08:42 AM
Pennsylvania State Senate
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=S&SPick=20230&cosponId=39253
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Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2023 - 2024 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: January 11, 2023 02:24 PM
From: Senator Vincent J. Hughes and Sen. Judith L. Schwank
To: All Senate members
Subject: Creation of a Housing Council
 
In the near future we plan on introducing legislation to create the Commonwealth Housing Council within the Governor’s office.

Thanks to the federal influx of funds, the Commonwealth has been able to make some historic investments in housing programs.  We created three new housing programs: the Housing Options Program, the Whole Home Repairs Program, and the Construction Cost Relief Program.  Those programs were created in addition to the enactment of the Pennsylvania Housing Tax Credit and several increases to the PHARE program.

When engaging with stakeholders on housing, one issue comes up repeatedly, that the Commonwealth lacks a comprehensive uniform housing strategy.  With federal funds from programs such as HOME, LIHTC, and CGBG and state funds for the Pennsylvania Housing Tax Credit and PHARE flowing it makes sense for the Commonwealth to have a strategy that cuts across agencies and local governments that allows for the Commonwealth and its political subdivisions to best utilize the available resources.

Under our proposal, the Commonwealth Housing Council will be established.  The 15 members of the council will include: the Commonwealth Departments of Community and Economic Development, Human Services, and Budget; the Housing Finance Agency; members from each caucus of the General Assembly; representation from first class and second class counties; and a representative from groupings of counties.  The county groupings are based off of the recent Opioid Settlement Trust appointments.  The Council will be responsible for:
  • developing a unified set of housing-related goals and priorities that serve as a framework for executive departments in their development of housing plans;
  • working with executive departments to establish a uniform set of housing goals;
  • developing a state plan and update the plan on housing;
  • creating a consolidated inventory and resource guide for housing programs and services;
  • implementing best practice research for achieving benchmarks within the state plan;
  • conducting research as needed;
  • ensuring the framework keeps in mind the demographics of the Commonwealth; and,
  • providing updates to the Governor and General Assembly on the long-term and short-term housing goals.
We hope that you will join us in sponsoring this legislation.

Please do not hesitate to contact either of our offices if you have any questions.


Introduced as SB376