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About the Development Services of RHLS

Who We Are

Regional Housing Legal Services (RHLS) is a group of experienced lawyers dedicated to improving affordable housing opportunities and promoting community and economic development throughout Pennsylvania. Since 1973 we have been impacting lower-income communities throughout the state by working on everything from small-scale projects with community-based organizations to complex policy initiatives involving multiple stakeholders.

What We Do

For the past 35 years, RHLS has supported Pennsylvania nonprofit providers and policy makers by:

  • Providing quality legal and technical assistance to non-profitorganizations, community-based groups, and resident groups engaged in developing housing and economic opportunities for lower income persons and in revitalizing their communities
  • Identifying critical community development policy issues
  • Crafting policy recommendations to maximize the preservation and production of affordable housing
  • Facilitating more comprehensive community development
  • Disseminating relevant policy information throughout Pennsylvania and, when appropriate, nationally

Areas of Expertise

Affordable Housing

  • Single Family Homeownership (new construction and rehabilitation)
  • Multi-Family Rental
  • SRO Housing
  • Emergency Housing
  • Section 202 Housing
  • Shared Housing
  • Limited Equity Cooperative Conversions
  • Transitional Housing
  • Land Trusts
  • Mobile Home Parks
  • Tenant Management of Public Housing
  • LIHPRHA
  • Special Needs Housing
  • Low-Income Tax Credit Projects
  • Public Housing Restructuring

Economic Development

  • Representation of “Affordable Lenders”
  • Start-Up Businesses
  • Section 3 Employment
  • Business Opportunities for Lower Income Persons
  • Mixed Use Developments
  • Commercial Developments
  • Childcare Developments

Non-Profit Expertise

  • Entity Selection
  • Non-profit Mergers and Acquisitions
  • IRS Tax Matters for Non-Profit Organizations
  • Partnerships and Joint Ventures

Project Development Assistance

  • Helping non-profits to envision, structure, finance and operate a project
  • Serving as in-house counsel throughout a project’s duration
  • Helping to maximize resident participation in the project