EAST FALLS (KYW Newsradio) — Governor Josh Shapiro unveiled a five-point housing plan to address housing needs in Pennsylvania during a Thursday appearance at a housing facility in East Falls.
“First, we must build more housing in Pennsylvania, and we must do a better job of preserving what is already here,” said the governor.
One of those preservation projects is The Tower on Henry Avenue in East Falls. It’s there where Shapiro made his announcement, and it’s also home to New Courtland Senior Living. New Courtland CEO Joe Duffy said the restoration project for The Tower came after working with Shapiro’s office.
“This was Eastern Pennsylvania Psychiatric Hospital for 70 years, and it was sat down vacant for a long time,” said Duffy.
Shapiro said the state is staring down a potential 185,000 housing unit shortfall by 2035, and his plan also includes more housing construction, cutting red tape for would-be homeowners and developers, increasing access to support for residents, and increasing accountability and transparency at the state and local level.
“This is a long term plan to cut costs, to build more affordable housing, to break down barriers that have kept Pennsylvanians from finding that home for far too long,” he said.
The governor’s recently-unveiled budget includes a $1 billion fund for critical infrastructure and housing construction.
“If we execute on it, Pennsylvania, [it] will bring down the cost of building and construction and maintaining homes. We will reduce homelessness to the lowest levels in the entire region, and we'll create new opportunities for millions of Pennsylvanians,” said Shapiro.