HARRISBURG, PA – June 24, 2026 – Members Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucusgathered today in the Capitol Rotunda to advocate for bills, initiatives and investments that will lower housing costs for Pennsylvanians and empower renters.
“As housing and utility costs continue to rise and burden Pennsylvania’s working families, Senate Democrats are keenly focused on fighting for a safe and affordable place every Pennsylvanian can call home.” said Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa. “Senate Democrats are leading the way in the housing space, and we continue to strongly advocate for our colleagues across the aisle to join us in tackling the housing crisis our Commonwealth faces.”
The senators noted the club’s countless successes in the housing space over the past few years, including the creation of the Housing Opportunity Program, dramatically increasing funding for the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, creating the Whole Home Repair Program, and adopting the Long-Term Homeowners Tax Exemption Program of Pittsburgh (LOOP).
However, despite these successes, Pennsylvania still lacks the necessary affordable housing resources to provide every Pennsylvanian with a safe and affordable home. As part of the Governor’s Housing Action Plan entitled Department of Social and Economic Development estimates that Pennsylvania will need to build 450,000 modern housing units by 2035 to meet projected demand, but without a change in the pace of construction, there will be a shortfall of nearly 185,000 homes. In addition, tenants and industrial landlords continue to struggle with skyrocketing costs and fees, with almost no legal protection against exploitation.
From this morning President Trump refrains from signing during the 21st sessionstreet Century ROAD to Housing Billa landmark bipartisan affordable housing bill designed to disenfranchise millions of voters and rig future elections to favor his party.
As a result, Senate Democrats have turned their attention to state-level bills that would remove barriers to homeownership, raise Pennsylvania’s affordable housing stock and support renters. Some of these accounts include:
- SB549which would close or limit PA tenants’ access to eviction records
- SB 1203that would solve the problem of “tangled titles” and remove barriers to home ownership
- SB 294which would remove the restriction on housing projects currently in the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) Act, enabling the program to better support the Commonwealth’s housing needs and make significant progress in reducing the housing gap.
- SB746which would protect residents of industrial communities against unjustified increases in rent and plot fees, especially from private equity companies
“Affordable housing is truly the cause of Pennsylvania’s affordability crisis.” said Senator Vincent Hughes. “Senate Democrats understand this need and we have solutions. Now it’s time for Senate Republicans to join us in bringing these solutions to fruition. We have an opportunity to uplift entire communities by securing these affordable housing investments and implementing commonsense policies that protect our homeowners.”
“The need for action is clear and urgent: hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania homes are estimated to require critical repairs, and nearly 17,000 people remain on waiting lists for the program,” he added. said Senator Nikil Saval. “Add to that the highest utility bills and insurance rates, and it’s no wonder so many homeowners are struggling to make repairs. Pennsylvania’s home maintenance program is an important step toward breaking the ongoing cycle of unaffordability and poor home improvement, speculation and community displacement. We must advance this bill, pass it and fund it for years to come.”
“Housing is a concern for everyone, from young families to seniors. No sector of our housing market is immune to skyrocketing prices, including manufactured housing communities.” said Senator Judy Schwank. “We have common-sense proposals to protect manufactured home owners, most of whom are seniors, veterans and people with disabilities, from price gouging. This budget is a huge opportunity to take action and show Pennsylvanians that we are serious about finding solutions to our housing crisis.”
“One of the most important ways to solve the housing crisis is to cut red tape and remove barriers to home ownership.” said Senator James Malone. “I have introduced SB 1203 to help counties streamline small property title changes to help families of modest means more easily establish ownership of the homes transferred to them. I am proud to introduce this resolution along with other proposals from Governor Shapiro and my colleagues that will address the housing crisis from multiple perspectives.”
Learn more about how Senate Democrats are fighting for safe and affordable homes for every Pennsylvanian at PASenate.com/Housing.
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