Shapiro Wants PA. To Be Leader In Home Construction
- 9 hours ago
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Pennsylvania urgently needs to build more homes, Gov. Josh Shapiro said on Thursday as he unveiled a wide-ranging plan to tackle Pennsylvania's housing shortage, expand protections for renters, and reduce homelessness.
In recent years, Pennsylvania has lagged almost every other state in adding new housing. At current rates, state officials estimate, Pennsylvania will be short 185,000 housing units by 2035.
Shapiro said his plan offers a coordinated long-term strategy to reverse this trend, which has led to soaring rental and home prices.
“If we execute, Pennsylvania will go from being at the bottom of the pack to a national leader on housing construction,” Shapiro said.
That’s a big “if.”
The plan recommends more funding for a swath of new and existing programs, but provides few specific dollar amounts. It offers a starting point for negotiations between the governor’s office and state lawmakers on an issue that is attracting increased attention in Harrisburg and across the country.
Dina Schlossberg, executive director of nonprofit law firm Regional Housing Legal Services, said she was grateful that housing is finally a top priority for state government. The governor’s plan, she said, combines a focus on the need for more construction with ambitious ideas to help vulnerable residents.
“It’s bold, it’s comprehensive, and it doesn’t sugarcoat the real issues.”
Between July 2024 and June 2025, more than half of states passed legislation aimed at increasing the supply of housing, according to an analysis by the Mercatus Center, a libertarian think tank.