PRINTER'S NO. 367
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
45
Session of
2023
INTRODUCED BY LANGERHOLC, PENNYCUICK, BREWSTER AND STEFANO,
FEBRUARY 24, 2023
REFERRED TO URBAN AFFAIRS AND HOUSING, FEBRUARY 24, 2023
A RESOLUTION
Urging the United States Department of Housing and Urban
Development to address the process of porting.
WHEREAS, Porting is a process in the Housing Choice Voucher
Program that allows a voucher recipient to transfer the
recipient's voucher to another jurisdiction; and
WHEREAS, Porting was intended to allow individuals to freely
move across the United States as their life required them to and
not lose their access to housing; and
WHEREAS, Individuals are currently abusing this process by
moving to jurisdictions with short waiting lists to access
vouchers, only to use those vouchers to port back to areas with
long waiting lists and move ahead of everyone on the waiting
list; and
WHEREAS, By way of illustration, individuals are using the
Johnstown Housing Authority to bypass the Philadelphia Housing
Authority's waiting list by moving to Johnstown and obtaining a
voucher merely to port back to Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, When individuals port from one jurisdiction to
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another the receiving jurisdiction can absorb the voucher or
continue to hold the initial housing authority responsible for
the costs of the voucher; and
WHEREAS, The abuse of the porting process has caused
significant problems within authorities with short waiting
lists; and
WHEREAS, In 2019, the Johnstown Housing Authority was
responsible for on average 143 families through outgoing porting
costing the authority $1,520,457; and
WHEREAS, In 2020, the Johnstown Housing Authority was
responsible for on average 141 families through outgoing porting
costing the authority $1,791,360; and
WHEREAS, In 2021, the Johnstown Housing Authority was
responsible for on average 41 families through outgoing porting
costing the authority $789,297 after the Philadelphia Housing
Authority decided to absorb 62 families and the Delaware County
Housing Authority absorbed the cost for 73 families; and
WHEREAS, In 2022, the Philadelphia Housing Authority decided
to reverse its decision to absorb families from the Johnstown
Housing Authority resulting in the Johnstown Housing Authority
being forced to pay the Philadelphia Housing Authority for those
who ported out of the Johnstown Housing Authority; and
WHEREAS, Porting does not just negatively affect a housing
authority; and
WHEREAS, The Greater Johnstown School District is a district
of 3,000 students and approximately 619 students have entered or
left the school district in the current academic year; and
WHEREAS, This constant transition does not just disrupt the
education of those 619 students, but all students are burdened
by constant changes to the school environment; and
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WHEREAS, In the 2018-2019 academic year, the Greater
Johnstown School District saw 751 students enter or leave the
school district; and
WHEREAS, In the 2019-2020 academic year, the Greater
Johnstown School District saw 805 students enter or leave the
school district; and
WHEREAS, In the 2020-2021 academic year, the Greater
Johnstown School District saw 380 students enter or leave the
school district; and
WHEREAS, In the 2021-2022 academic year, the Greater
Johnstown School District saw 591 students enter or leave the
school district; and
WHEREAS, The porting process has resulted in many of the
needs, challenges and financial strain on resources in
communities such as Cambria County; and
WHEREAS, Local health and human service providers, as well as
the Greater Johnstown School District, absorb the financial
burden of this phenomenon due to the vast need of these high-
risk individuals moving for a temporary duration with few
belongings or community connections; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
urge the United States Department of Housing and Urban
Development to take action to address the abuse of the porting
process that has a detrimental effect on communities as outlined
in this resolution; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
all of the following:
(1) the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development;
(2) the President pro tempore of the United States
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Senate;
(3) the Speaker of the United States House of
Representatives;
(4) the chairperson of the Committee on Banking,
Housing, and Urban Affairs of the United States Senate;
(5) the chairperson of the Committee on Financial
Services of the United States House of Representatives; and
(6) each member of Congress from Pennsylvania.
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