In an op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Mark Schwartz, RHLS Executive Director, and Larry Swanson, Executive Director of ACTION-Housing in Pittsburgh, argue that Pennsylvania has able to demonstrate real success in the face of the foreclosure challenges we have been facing. Despite the stories about failed federal foreclosure-prevention programs, Pennsylvania has consistently been a high performer. In fact, Pennsylvania “accounted for about 25 percent of the emergency assistance issued under the [Emergency Homeowners’ Loan Program].”
The success in Pennsylvania is largely attributed to the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA). Schwartz and Swanson argue that to improve housing program performance going forward, that the programs administered by various state agencies should be consolidated at PHFA.