HDC MidAtlantic’s Post

Today PHFA has awarded 322 recipients a total of $64.8 million in Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement (PHARE) funding. This money will boost housing and community development initiatives in all 67 counties. We anticipate this funding will impact Pennsylvania households through a variety of affordable housing efforts including: 🔴 169 new, affordable housing units will be created 🔴 1,181 affordable housing units will be preserved/rehabilitated 🔴 900 units rehabilitated/preserved through the funding of 4% tax credit projects 🔴 61 new single-family homes to be created 🔴 227 housing units will be created or rehabilitated specifically for households in danger of homelessness 🔴 316 potential new homebuyers to receive down payment/closing cost assistance 🔴 More than 6,900 families/households to receive housing counseling/financial education 🔴 More than 14,000 families/households to receive housing assistance (rent, utilities, transportation Learn more: https://lnkd.in/d7RAb8H

Creating more affordable housing in #ClarkCounty and Las #Vegas. Clark County announced the opening of a new competitive funding round of $60 million for the development and rehabilitation of affordable housing in the region through "Welcome Home," Clark County’s Community Housing Program. This significant investment in Southern Nevada supplements the $20 million made available by the County in September to develop housing for extremely low-income residents who are formerly homeless or at risk of homelessness, and who need housing with wraparound services. Welcome Home was created to allocate a historic $160 million to support the development and rehabilitation of affordable housing units across southern Nevada for low-income families, seniors, and those who are working, but unable to find affordable housing. The goal is to construct or rehabilitate nearly 3,000 housing units, Project information can be found here - https://lnkd.in/g7avMvP3.

President Biden and HUD Secretary Fudge released their full fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget request this past Monday. Their proposal presents a mixed potential impact on Connecticut. While some critical programs, like Housing Choice Vouchers and Project-Based Rental Assistance see funding increases, others like Public Housing, Tribal housing, and Community Development Block Grants face cuts. Partnership for Strong Communities emphasizes the need for increased support to the Housing Choice Voucher program to prevent housing voucher losses and other critical funding to address the growing homelessness and affordable housing crisis. Engage your members of Congress by emailing or calling their offices to tell them about the importance of affordable housing, homelessness, and community development resources to you, your family, your community, or your work, and urge them to prioritize affordable housing funding in FY25. You can use our take action page to find your elected officials! pschousing.org/take-action Learn more: https://bit.ly/3Tibwr5 #HereForHousing

Legislative Update! This year’s #PABudget included a significant increase in the transfer caps from Realty Transfer Tax revenue to the PA Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement Fund (PHARE). According to the updated law, the transfer cap will increase by $10 million over the next four years from $60 million to $100 million. This crucial funding will support sustainable and comprehensive projects to: 🏠 Preserve and create affordable housing 🏠 Reduce homelessness 🏠 Support community revitalization 🏠 Promote affordable homeownership 🏠 Address various unmet housing and community development needs across the Commonwealth This is a major step forward for affordable senior housing and community development in Pennsylvania. We appreciate the legislators who have supported this effort. #AffordableHousing

“This session’s housing proposals sought necessary and pragmatic tools including just cause tenant protections, a housing growth fund to support local efforts to create affordable housing, and incentives for towns to rezone areas near transit for more housing, among other strategies. We know the tools we need to create more affordable homes. Now it is essential to take action to use them.” My current piece for CT Insider highlights the urgent shortage of affordable housing in Connecticut: over 90,000 residential units needed for low-income households. This legislative session introduced promising proposals, yet essential funding for homelessness response and rental assistance was not appropriated. As thousands of families continue to struggle with escalating food, child care, and rent costs, it is imperative that we continue advocating for and investing in affordable housing solutions. Read more in my full article here: https://lnkd.in/eVEjdQ6p.

We know finding stable housing can be a challenge. Massachusetts offers a variety of housing assistance programs to help you find and maintain a safe, secure home. From emergency shelters to long-term housing solutions, there’s support available for everyone in need.  Emergency Assistance: Immediate help for families facing homelessness.  RAFT Program: Financial assistance to help you stay in your current home.  HomeBASE Program: Housing assistance for families transitioning out of shelters.  Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program: Long-term rental assistance. Our mission at Bridge Forward is to empower you with the resources you need to achieve financial stability and build a brighter future. Take the first step today by exploring the housing assistance options on the Massachusetts Housing Assistance page and if you need our help navigating these resources we're here for you and can be your advocate. For more info, visit: [Massachusetts Housing Assistance]( https://lnkd.in/e9tgyRA4 ) #HousingHelp #MassachusettsResources #FinancialStability #BridgeForward #CommunitySupport #HousingAssistance #EmergencyHelp #LongTermSupport #AffordableHousing #StabilityAndGrowth

"These success stories wouldn’t be possible without the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative (ESSHI), a program created in 2016 that provides both rental subsidies and supportive services for formerly unhoused New Yorkers. Supportive housing, which combines quality units with on-site services, has proven to be one of the most effective tools available to combat chronic homelessness. Unfortunately, ESSHI is not universal. Thousands of units across the state are funded by the nearly four-decade-old New York State Supportive Housing Program (NYSSHP), which hasn’t seen a significant increase in state resources since its creation. NYSSHP pays just a quarter of what ESSHI pays for services and doesn’t cover any rental assistance." Our President & CEO, Ben Lockwood, authored this guest opinion piece to discuss how including a five-year plan to convert NYSSHP units to ESSHI units in the next state budget could have a lasting effect on saving the 9,000 supportive housing units statewide that are set to the come offline due to underfunding.

"Time and again, we see resources poured into enforcement tactics — clearing encampments, criminalizing those forced to live in their vehicles — without offering viable alternatives. Where’s the long-term plan? This approach merely shifts the problem from one neighborhood to another while further traumatizing the very people we claim to want to help." Study after study shows that high housing costs are the root cause of our homelessness crisis, and we cannot and will not meaningfully reduce homelessness if we don’t continue expanding affordable housing options in our community. In recognizing the importance of interim shelter, we must remember that the measure of our success is the number of people who can achieve permanent housing stability. The only true solution to homelessness is permanent housing. Read the full article by Thomas Knight from the Lived Experience Advisory Board of Silicon Valley: https://lnkd.in/ggKXC98v #svathome #affordablehousing #homelessness #sanjose #measureE #endhomelessness #housing