Fetterman highlights the program’s value to PA seniors, flexibility of the program, and bipartisan push to get it passed at the national level
WASHINGTON, DC – On Tuesday, Pennsylvania U.S. Senator John Fetterman spoke at a Senate Housing, Transportation, and Community Development subcommittee hearing about the importance of passing the Whole-Home Repairs Act, a bill he introduced with Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) that would scale a popular and successful Pennsylvania program to the national level. The Whole-Home Repairs Act would help homeowners and apartment owners with critical home repairs. Senator Lummis also attended the hearing and highlighted the value of the Whole-Home Repairs Act, demonstrating the bipartisan pressure to get the legislation passed.
“We have a housing crisis in Pennsylvania and across the country. We need a crisis-level response,” said Senator Fetterman.
The Whole-Home Repairs Act is a crucial piece of solving the broader housing shortage the country is facing. When families can’t afford repairs, housing units are lost to blight, which further exacerbates the housing crisis. The bill helps address this issue by allowing more families to keep their homes in good condition. The bill will also create a one-stop shop that will help ensure that money allocated through existing programs is efficiently spent.
“We have a housing crisis no matter where you live – in a blue county or a red county. This is a smart and proven way to target that crisis. We’ve got to help people live in dignity and preserve our much-needed housing stock.” said Senator Fetterman.
Senator Fetterman introduced the witness from Pennsylvania, Jesse Ergott, who serves as President and CEO of NeighborWorks Northeastern PA. Senator Fetterman spoke about the important role that Mr. Ergott and NeighborWorks Northeastern PA have played in reducing blight in NEPA and administering the state-level whole-home repairs program in Lackawanna and Wayne Counties.
Senator Fetterman has long been an advocate of this program – both in Pennsylvania and in the U.S. Senate. Led by State Senator Nikil Saval, a bipartisan group of Pennsylvania lawmakers passed the Whole-Home Repairs program in 2022 to create a one-stop shop to help with repairs. Nearly every county that applied for funding had to create a waitlist to deal with the overwhelming demand for the program.
Background on the Whole-Home Repairs Act
Years of deferred maintenance—largely due to high and rising repair and utility costs—have led to homeowners and renters being forced to live with leaky or collapsed roofs, exposed wiring, mold, unsafe heating, lead paint, drafty windows, faulty plumbing, and other health and safety risks. And in both rural and urban communities, existing programs are overly bureaucratic, inefficient, and have failed to fully address the scope of these problems.
In response to these known problems, a bipartisan group of Pennsylvania lawmakers passed the Whole-Home Repairs program in 2022 to create a one-stop shop to help with repairs, weatherization, and adaptions in homes for older residents or individuals with disabilities. The program allows low- and moderate-income homeowners and small landlords to apply for grants and loans to make needed repairs. The program was both successful and popular and has helped thousands of people address urgent repair needs. An incredible 95% of Pennsylvania counties applied for funding, demonstrating the breadth and enormity of the need.
The Whole-Homes Repairs Act creates a national version of this popular state program.
The Whole-Home Repairs Act has been endorsed by the Housing Assistance Council, National NeighborWorks Association, LISC, Habitat for Humanity, Council for Affordable and Rural Housing, National Association of Home Builders, Coalition for Home Repairs, National Association of State Energy Officials, National Association of Towns and Townships, BPC Action, Window and Door Manufacturers Association, National Low Income Housing Coalition, National Housing Law Project, People’s Action, Pennsylvania Stands Up, and the Building Performance Association.
