WASHINGTON (WHP) — A housing program that originated in Pennsylvania was signed into federal law Saturday as part of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act.
The act will include a nationwide expansion of Pennsylvania’s Whole-Home Repairs Program, which was first championed by Pennsylvania Sen. Nikil Saval (D-Philadelphia) in 2022.
The program will provide grants and forgivable loans to help homeowners and small landlords repair and weatherize their properties.
“Now, these benefits will be available to communities nationwide—a victory made possible through the unwavering efforts of a dedicated coalition of advocates, organizers, and residents,” Saval said in a release.
I’m enormously proud for Pennsylvania to have laid the path for national housing action and immensely grateful to our federal partners for their vision and dedication in making it possible for people across the country to live in homes that are warm, safe, and dry.
The bill initially passed through both chambers on June 23, but President Donald Trump refused to sign it in protest of the Senate not passing his SAVE America Act.
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Trump didn’t sign the housing bill, but he didn’t veto it either, so it was automatically forced into law.
Sen. John Fetterman pushed the Whole-Home Repairs Act for consideration on the federal level and helped it get added to the overall housing package.
He also helped add the Housing Supply Frameworks Act to the package, which provides guidance to zoning reforms that will add more affordable housing.
“I’m proud to finally see this housing deal become law,” Fetterman said in a release. “My Whole-Home Repairs Act and Housing Supply Frameworks Act will lower housing costs and keep affordable housing on the market.”
This is a major step in fighting the housing crisis we see right here in Pennsylvania and across our country