PENNSYLVANIA — Senator Vincent Hughes, Democratic Appropriations Chair, and the PA Housing Finance Agency (PHFA), this week announced $93 million in affordable housing grants awarded through the Housing Options Program (HOP). The grant program was established in 2022 and was championed by Senator Hughes, a key leader in FY22-23 budget negotiations that led to the largest increase in affordable housing investments in Pennsylvania’s history.
“It’s not easy to create new funding programs, but we fought hard for this because affordable housing is a necessity,” said Senator Hughes. “Now, we’re sending $93M to projects that will preserve and revitalize almost 4,000 affordable housing units across Pennsylvania.”
The grants were awarded to 55 affordable housing projects across the Commonwealth. $7.34 million in grants was awarded to projects in the 7th Senatorial District, which will include preservation work for Cloisters III, the renovation of 15 licensed community homes in Northwest Philadelphia, and the renovation of 55 affordable housing units in West Powelton and Mantua.
The first round of HOP funding was awarded in July 2023 to 11 projects with emergency repairs. Combined with this round of funding, PHFA has awarded $98 million through the HOP grant program.
Senator Hughes hopes to see more funding allocated to affordable housing in the future, “As we celebrate the projects this funding supports, we can’t forget there’s a need for more affordable housing in Pennsylvania. Over $225 million was requested through the HOP application process- over 125% more than what was available. We’ve made a lot of progress, but there’s more work to be done.”
More information on the HOP Grant Program can be found online.
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