Shapiro asks administration to develop statewide housing action plan

Gov. Josh Shapiro unveiled a new priority for his administration Thursday when he signed an executive order directing officials under his purview to develop a statewide housing action plan to address housing shortages and homelessness across the commonwealth.

Shapiro signed the executive order during a press conference in Philadelphia, where he was joined by state and local officials who celebrated the administration’s commitment to tackling housing issues. 

“Having a home that you can call your own, raise a family in, where you can build a productive life and chart your own course and have more freedom, that's a key part of the Pennsylvania dream – a key part of our American dream,” Shapiro said. However, the governor added, an additional 100,000 housing units are needed across the state to keep up with demand, with states like Massachusetts, Michigan and New York currently investing more in housing than Pennsylvania.  

According to Shapiro, the executive order will direct the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development to identify housing needs unique to Pennsylvania and put together a comprehensive plan to address the state’s housing shortage. The order also tasks the state Department of Human Services to work with local, state and federal leaders to come up with a plan to combat homelessness in the commonwealth. 

According to a 2023 housing study published by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, between 2016 and 2020 “there was a deficit of 136,700 units of housing affordable to households below 30% of area median income” when accounting for affordability and income levels.

The report also estimates that in 2023, approximately 12,556 homeless individuals lived in the commonwealth.

Shapiro’s executive order comes just two days after housing was raised as a key issue in the presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and GOP presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump. 

“We know that we have a shortage of homes and housing, and the cost of housing is too expensive for far too many people,” Harris said during Tuesday’s debate in Philadelphia.

Harris has pitched several ideas in the housing space if she’s elected to the Oval Office. According to her campaign website, she has pledged to build 3 million affordable homes and rental units to address supply issues. She also promises to cut regulations and penalize firms that hoard homes and drive up prices. Additionally, her website states that if elected in November, Harris will sign legislation to ban new forms of price-fixing by corporate landlords.

According to Time Magazine, Trump told the Economic Club of New York this month that he plans to reduce regulations related to housing and allow construction on federal land. “Regulation costs 30% of a new home, and we will open up portions of federal land for large-scale housing construction,” Trump said, according to the magazine. “These zones will be ultra-low tax and ultra-low regulations – one of the great small business job creation programs.”

In Philadelphia, Shapiro was joined by Democratic officials, including state Sens. Vincent Hughes and Nikil Saval, alongside state Rep. Morgan Cephas and Philadelphia City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier. 

Also at the press conference were Robin Weissman, CEO of the PHFA, and former state Rep. Donna Bullock, who left the General Assembly in July to take over as president and CEO of Project HOME, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit dedicated to combating homelessness and poverty.

“Pennsylvania is taking yet another historic step toward long-term solutions that will get everyone in the game by bringing the commonwealth's agencies together to address the housing shortage,” Bullock said.

Throughout his first term, Shapiro has directed his administration to develop several detailed plans to address issues related to aging and economic development. Shapiro said he hopes that the executive order will result in an actionable plan that can lead to real policy change.

“These leaders have one year to do this work – only one year. A lot of times, folks come up with strategic plans, and then like 30 years later, you wonder what happened with that strategic plan,” he said. “This is an action plan that we are going to move on.”