Powell bill to establish program to tackle the housing crisis passes PA House
Rep. Lindsay Powell June 26, 2025 | 12:32 PM
HARRISBURG, June 26 – To take on the ongoing housing crisis across the state, the Pennsylvania House has passed state Rep. Lindsay Powell’s bill that would establish a new grant program to support improvements to housing stock.
House Bill 1650, introduced by Powell, D-Allegheny, and co-prime sponsored by state Reps. Brandon Markosek, D-Allegheny, and Tim Twardzik, R-Schuylkill, would establish the Pennsylvania Home Preservation Grant Program, a Department of Community and Economic Development-administered program to help local governments improve the existing housing stock in their communities.
“Having a safe, healthy home is vital in allowing residents to establish a sense of stability,” Powell said. “This bill would enable people to stay in their homes, while also tackling the housing crisis and allowing our communities to prosper.”
The program would address the long waitlists for home repairs by focusing on critical cases, a key success of the Commonwealth’s previous Whole Home Repairs Program, which was funded through one-time federal American Rescue Plan dollars. Over 18,000 homeowners ended up on waitlists for home repairs under the prior program.
The bill was considered by the House Housing & Community Development Committee, which reported it out of committee earlier this week in a bipartisan manner.
“As chairman and co-prime of the bill, I moved it quickly out of committee because keeping people safely in their homes is a priority,” said Markosek, who serves as the majority chair of the House Housing & Community Development Committee. “I appreciate the strong bipartisan vote that passed the bill today.”
“There are neighborhoods at risk of blight in both my district and across the Commonwealth,” said Twardzik, R-Schuylkill. “By preserving homes that would otherwise fall into disrepair, we can stabilize communities and prevent neighborhood decline. Assisting seniors with critical home repairs can help them safely age in place.”
The bill now moves to the state Senate for consideration.