UNDERSTANDING AND PRESERVING FEDERALLY SUPPORTED HOUSING IN PENNSYLVANIA
Chi-Hyun Kim, Cypress Marrs, and Vincent Reina
UNDERSTANDING AND PRESERVING FEDERALLY SUPPORTED HOUSING IN PENNSYLVANIA
Federal funding plays an essential role in the creation, operation, and maintenance of affordable housing in the Commonwealth. As properties supported with these funds age and the affordability requirements tied to federal support expire, preserving these units will be crucial to maintaining access to affordable housing in communities across the Commonwealth. This report examines the scale and characteristics of federally supported rental housing in Pennsylvania, as well as the risks to preserving these units.
Federal programs and tax credits support the development or operation of 2,885 affordable rental properties across the Commonwealth. These properties include 180,604 units statewide, making up about 17% of rental units affordable to households earning half the median income for their region. These properties are supported by sources such as the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, HOME, Public Housing, and project- based Section 8. About half of these properties rely on more than one type of funding.
Federal programs and tax credits support the development or operation of 2,885 affordable rental properties across the Commonwealth. These properties include 180,604 units statewide, making up about 17% of rental units affordable to households earning half the median income for their region. These properties are supported by sources such as the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, HOME, Public Housing, and project- based Section 8. About half of these properties rely on more than one type of funding.
Federally supported rental units are found in every county in the Commonwealth, in both major cities and towns (83,402 units) and suburban and rural areas (97,202 units). Even in counties with a small absolute number of federally supported properties, this stock is often a significant percentage of all the rental housing available in the county.
In the next ten years, affordability restrictions in a third of the existing federally supported properties are set to expire. Affordability requirements for 980 properties (or 43,301 units) are scheduled to expire between 2027 and 2036, with the scale of expirations varying significantly across counties. While some of the expiring properties have renewable subsidies, most will need to seek additional support in order to extend the period of guaranteed affordability and keep aging properties in good condition.
More federally assisted units are on track to have their affordability restrictions expire than new units being built through these subsidies. Between 2013 and 2022, 12,528 federally supported units were newly developed across the state, while more than 43,000 units face expiring affordability in the next ten years.
Read the full report here.
More federally assisted units are on track to have their affordability restrictions expire than new units being built through these subsidies. Between 2013 and 2022, 12,528 federally supported units were newly developed across the state, while more than 43,000 units face expiring affordability in the next ten years.
Read the full report here.
