Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order to create Pennsylvania’s first comprehensive Housing Action Plan, Sept. 12, 2024 (Photo by Commonwealth Media Services)
PHILADELPHIA— As Pennsylvania risks falling behind other states on addressing affordable housing and homelessness, Gov. Josh Shapiro on Thursday signed an executive order creating the commonwealth’s first comprehensive Housing Action Plan.
“What we need is a coordinated, comprehensive, statewide housing solution,” Shapiro said during a press conference at Wynne Senior Residences in West Philadelphia. “One that is grounded in Pennsylvania’s unique challenges, but also takes advantage of our unique opportunities.”
The executive order directs the state’s Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) and Department of Human Services (DHS) to create the housing action plan by working with stakeholders to create a roadmap for building more affordable housing, while addressing homelessness. Shapiro called it a big task, and said that the agencies have one year to come up with a strategic plan.
According to the executive order, the plan will be “data-driven,” and the agencies will provide recommendations for how to increase housing supply, and support the preservation of existing housing.
Under the Housing Action Plan the DCED and DHS will:
Assess and determine Commonwealth-wide and regional housing needs
Identify goals with “measurable outcomes,”
Review existing housing programs and resources provided by Commonwealth agencies for “effectiveness” and
Provide recommendations for housing programs, investments and policymaking, with strategic planning initiatives to be implemented over the next five years.
“I want to be clear about something,” Shapiro said. “This is not a need that’s unique just to Philadelphia or just to Pennsylvania.” Other states, like Michigan, Massachusetts and New York have made major investments toward addressing housing shortages.
“States all across the country are grappling with it,” he added. “But Pennsylvania, we are falling behind some of our fellow states, including some of our neighboring states.”
Shapiro said homeownership in the state has decreased since 2010 and the supply of new housing is not keeping up with demand. He said he believes 100,000 additional housing units are needed to meet the current need. Shapiro also said that almost 60% of housing in Pennsylvania was built before 1970.
“We can’t expect people to be healthy, productive and capable of giving back to others if they don’t have a stable housing situation,” Shapiro said. “If they don’t have a safe roof over their heads.”
State Sen. Vince Hughes (D-Philadelphia) said Thursday that the executive order was once a bill that was introduced in the state legislature in 2022, but didn’t advance.
“And in case you haven’t heard, we’ve got surplus dollars in Pennsylvania,” Hughes said.
“Why not utilize those surplus dollars for housing,” he added. “Why not?”
Shapiro told reporters that while the state needs to be fiscally responsible, and make targeted investments in a few distinct areas: education, economic development, and public safety, he would consider using surplus funds to address affordable housing.
“I addressed it in the last budget cycle, I’ll address it again going forward,” Shapiro said.
“So what we want to do is make sure that we are investing those dollars that the taxpayers send to the capital for their benefit, either by cutting their costs and putting more money in their pocket, or by investing in critical areas that help lift them up,” he added. “And housing is one of those areas.”
State Sen. Nikil Saval (D-Philadelphia), who authored the Whole-Home Repair Program, which provided assistance to eligible homeowners and landlords across the state with critical home repairs. He said that Thursday’s executive order “could not be more timely” to address the state’s housing crisis.
Although the executive order directs the plan to be completed in one year, Shapiro noted his administration has addressed the matter of affordable housing in his administration so far in multiple ways, including the expansion of property tax/rent rebate and the child and dependent care enhancement, expanding affordable housing by increasing the cap for the Pennsylvania House Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement Fund (PHARE), and for the first time ever, investing in access to counsel for those facing eviction.
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