State College, Pa. — Last week, the Pa. House Majority Policy Committee convened a roundtable discussion in Centre County to discuss potential solutions for the ongoing housing crisis, especially in rural communities.
“There are some unique challenges in this community that put an upward strain on housing costs. If you look out across rural communities, you’ll find an aging stock of homes that continue to deteriorate. A lack of attainable housing is a real barrier to economic development in our community,” said Rep. Paul Takac (D-Centre), who hosted the discussion. “Housing is a basic human right and everyone deserves to have a safe and affordable place to live. We will continue to work on solutions that lead to better, safer, and more attainable housing for everyone.”
More than half of existing Pa. homes were built before 1970, with more than 1.5 million homes built prior to 1940. The issue of aging housing stock is made worse by soaring costs, leading to insufficient construction to meet demand. Pa.’s first Deputy Secretary for Housing, Kevin Bush, said that rural areas of the Commonwealth especially feel these strains. He added that the Governor’s Housing Action Plan will work to address common housing problems.
“Whether it is aging homes and blight, or rising costs and limited options, housing is one of the most pressing challenges we’re facing,” Bush said. “The Plan outlines a practical 10-year strategy focused on building and preserving housing, expanding opportunity, strengthening pathways to stability, modernizing development regulations, and improving coordination among state and local partners.”
Bush added that to properly address the crisis, Pa. must build 450,000 homes by 2035. If current rates of building continue, the Commonwealth will fall short by nearly 200,000 units.
The Housing Action Plan calls for expanded grant and tax credit tools to support more developers and build more units. Additionally, more than 1.4 million Pa. households are cost burdened, with affected homeowners spending more than 30% of their income on housing. The plan looks to increase investment in home repair programs and expand tenant protections.
The plan also calls for statewide first-time homebuyer initiatives, an effort championed for years by House Majority Policy Chairman Ryan Bizzarro (D-Erie).
“This is an issue that I’ve been working on since 2018. There’s nothing like saving up and buying your first home, but that’s becoming increasingly difficult for Pennsylvanians as they navigate a myriad of issues that continue to fuel this housing crisis. I believe this is a common-sense solution, and we’ve seen other states successfully enact similar initiatives,” Bizzarro said. “House Democrats are committed to easing these burdens and helping more families find reliable and affordable housing. We’ve already passed several components of the Housing Action Plan. It’s time for the state Senate to join us and help provide much-needed relief to our communities.”
The discussion was held in the College Township Council Chambers and featured remarks by Kevin Bush, Joanna Byrd, policy director for the Housing Alliance of Pa., and Gregory Scott, president and CEO of the Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County.
Testimony regarding the Housing Action Plan submitted for the discussion is available here.
“Safe and affordable housing is very significant in communities across the Commonwealth and affects not just quality of life, but is a key economic development issue. Rural communities face unique challenges in even providing basic infrastructure, such as water and sewer, as well as aging housing stock and a declining population,” said Takac. “In addition, affordability is preventing young people from even entering the housing market. This roundtable was an opportunity to bring together experts from the state, regional, and local levels to share insights and ideas about how to address the housing crisis in communities across Pennsylvania.”