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State Data Overview
Across Pennsylvania, there is a shortage of rental homes affordable and available to extremely low income households (ELI), whose incomes are at or below the poverty guideline or 30% of their area median income (AMI). Many of these households are severely cost burdened, spending more than half of their income on housing. Severely cost burdened poor households are more likely than other renters to sacrifice other necessities like healthy food and healthcare to pay the rent, and to experience unstable housing situations like evictions.
Housing Profiles
Pennsylvania
Key Facts
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434,197 OR 26%
Renter households that are extremely low-income
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-262,753
Shortage of rental homes affordable and available for extremely low-income renters
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$31,090
Average income limit for 4-person extremely low income household
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$60,050
Annual household income needed to afford a two-bedroom rental home at HUD's Fair Market Rent (FMR)
Impact on Low-Wage Workers
A minimum wage worker would need to work:
- 131 hours per week or 3.3 full-time jobs to afford a 1-bedroom apartment at Fair Market Rent (FMR).
- 159 hours per week or 4.0 full-time jobs to afford a 2-bedroom apartment at Fair Market Rent (FMR).
Most Expensive Areas 2-Bedroom Housing Wage Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington MSA $34.81 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton HMFA $31.42 Reading MSA $30.29 Monroe County $29.40 Lancaster MSA $29.35 Common Occupations Median Hourly Wage Nursing Assistants $22.04 Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $18.05 Retail Salespersons $15.42 Home Health and Personal Care Aides $14.53 Fast Food and Counter Workers $14.12 Solutions
- Provide significant resources to build and preserve homes affordable to renters with the lowest incomes through investments in public housing and the national Housing Trust Fund
- Encourage states and local communities to reform zoning and land use regulations that prevent housing from being built and push up housing costs
- Bridge the gap between incomes and housing costs by expanding rental assistance so that it is universally available to all eligible households or consider other innovative approaches, such as a fully refundable renters’ tax credit
- Prevent evictions and homelessness by creating permanent tools, such as emergency rental assistance, to help stabilize families in crisis
- Other federal housing resources, including the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, should be reformed to better address the shortage of rental housing affordable to the lowest-income households.
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State Level Partners
NLIHC Housing Advocacy Organizer
Zenayah Roaché
State PartnersHousing Alliance of Pennsylvania
309 Florence Avenue, #914N,
Jenkintown, PA 19046
Phyllis Chamberlain, Executive Director
Gale Schwartz, Associate Director, Policy & Strategic Initiatives
[email protected]Become an NLIHC State Partner
NLIHC’s affiliation with our state coalition partners is central to our advocacy efforts. Although our partners' involvement varies, they are all housing and homeless advocacy organizations engaged at the state and federal level. Many are traditional coalitions with a range of members; others are local organizations that serve more informally as NLIHC's point of contact.
Inquire about becoming a state partner by contacting [email protected]
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Housing Trust FundHTF Implementation Information
NLIHC continues working with leaders in each state and the District of Columbia who will mobilize advocates in support of HTF allocation plans that benefit ELI renters to the greatest extent possible. Please contact the point person coordinating with NLIHC in your state (below) to find out about the public participation process and how you can be involved. Email Tori Bourret with any questions.
Current Year HTF Allocation$25,998,644
HTF State Resources2019
2019 Draft PHARE Plan (PDF)
2019 Final PHARE Plan (PDF)
PHARE RFP (PDF)
PHARE FAQs (PDF)
2018
2018 Action Plan, HTF Allocation Plan pages 210-254 (PDF)
2018 PHARE webinar announcement (PDF)
2018 PHARE RFP (PDF)
2018 PHARE Plan (PDF)
PHARE Fund Reservations (PDF)
2017
PHARE reservation of funds (PDF)
PHARE project summaries (PDF)
2017 PHARE RFP (PDF)
Final HTF Allocation Plan, starting on page 182 (PDF)
Draft HTF Allocation Plan, starting on page 183 of draft Annual Action Plan (PDF)
2016
2016 RFP (PDF)
HUD-approved HTF Allocation Plan (PDF)
First draft HTF Allocation Plan by Pennsylvania Housing Finance Authority (PDF)
State Designated EntityState Entity Webpage
Pennsylvania Housing Finance AgencyOfficial Directly Involved with HTF ImplementationJessica Perry
Manager of Multifamily Coordination
717-780-1881
[email protected]Stacia Rhoads
[email protected]NHTF-specific Pages
Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement Fund (PHARE)
Action Plans -
ResourcesResources
Housing Profiles
State Housing Profile
State Housing Profile: Pennsylvania (PDF)
Congressional District Housing Profile
Congressional District Profile: Pennsylvania (PDF)
Research and Data
National Housing Preservation Database
The National Housing Preservation Database is an address-level inventory of federally assisted rental housing in the United States.
Out of Reach: The High Cost of Housing
Out of Reach documents the gap between renters’ wages and the cost of rental housing. In Pennsylvania and Nationwide
The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Rental Homes
The Gap represents data on the affordable housing supply and housing cost burdens at the national, state, and metropolitan levels. In Pennsylvania and Nationwide
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