The cost of housing for renters and homeowners has roughly doubled over the last decade, with 48.5% of Pennsylvania renters and 20.3% of homeowners[1] now spending more than the recommended 30% of their income[2] on housing expenses. In a snapshot statistic, Pennsylvania is estimated to have a shortage of approximately 267,000 affordable housing units for extremely low-income renters.[3] This means for every 100 extremely low-income renters, there are only 38 units that are affordable and available to them.[4] To make matters worse, data from the National Housing Preservation Database shows that between 2022 and 2032, the Commonwealth is at risk of losing 22,634 publicly supported rental homes, with another roughly 12,000 units of public housing needing investment for upgrades.[5] These figures speak to the direly needed investment in affordable housing across the Commonwealth.
Housing and community development funding programs have a significant impact on housing affordability and availability in Pennsylvania. They can also help revitalize distressed areas by adding to the housing stock, rehabilitating vacant properties, and demolishing blighted buildings. Housing and community development programs have helped to create and preserve affordable housing units, which are particularly important in low-income neighborhoods. In addition, they can provide affordable housing in better-served communities where residents have access to good schools and jobs.
This report aims to provide a comprehensive overview of housing and community development funding distribution across Pennsylvania’s 67 counties spanning from 2018 to 2021. Its primary objective is to serve as a valuable resource for a diverse audience including community members, advocates, local organizations, and elected officials. By analyzing the allocation of resources, it offers insights into how these funds have been utilized to sustain and enhance housing and community development initiatives and infrastructure.
Regional Housing Legal Services has published a comprehensive report including interactive tables and maps, that provides:
- Descriptions and definitions of funding sources;
- Funding breakdowns by county in Pennsylvania;
- An analysis of funding across programs by sociodemographic measures such as the percentage of county residents experiencing poverty and housing insecurity; and,
- An analysis of funding distribution compared with racial demographics in Pennsylvania counties.
If you have questions or would like more information about the data, please contact Vanessa Raymond-Garcia, Policy Analyst, at vanessa.garcia@rhls.org.
This project was funded by the Pennsylvania Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts Board through a special grant, Community Redevelopment Legal Assistance (CRLA). CRLA focused legal aid outreach and representation on specific communities over several years: five boroughs in northern Schuylkill County, three neighborhoods in northwest Philadelphia, New Castle in Lawrence County, Scranton in Lackawanna County, and Norristown and Pottstown in Montgomery County. Detailed data for these five counties is available in the report.
[1] American Community Survey, Table DP04: Selected Housing Characteristics.
[2] The U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines “affordable” as paying no more than 30% of household income on rent or mortgage (principle, interest, taxes, and insurance) plus utilities.
[3] National Low Income Housing Coalition, Housing Needs by State Analysis.
[4] Ibid.
[5] National Housing Preservation Database State Preservation Profile.