HARRISBURG, PA — The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency announced that $35 million in new funding is now available to help create and preserve rental housing for homeless and at-risk Pennsylvanians through its newly launched HOME-ARP program.
The funding is intended to support developers, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations working to build new rental units or rehabilitate existing properties to expand affordable housing options for vulnerable populations across the Commonwealth.
Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency said applications must be submitted by 2 p.m. on April 1.
Robin Wiessmann, PHFA’s executive director and chief executive officer, said the program represents a major step in addressing housing insecurity statewide and aligns with the agency’s mission to expand access to safe, affordable housing for those most in need.
The HOME-ARP initiative offers zero-percent interest, deferred-payment loans that can be used for the development, rehabilitation, or preservation of rental housing serving qualifying populations and low-income households. Eligible applicants include housing developers, local governments, and nonprofit organizations focused on expanding affordable housing opportunities.
The program is funded through the HOME Investment Partnerships Program–American Rescue Plan, which was created under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and is administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
PHFA said additional details, including eligibility criteria and application requirements, are available at https://www.phfa.org/mhp/developers/arp.aspx.
Established by the Pennsylvania Legislature in 1972, PHFA supports affordable homeownership and rental housing for older adults, low- and moderate-income families, and individuals with special housing needs. The agency said it has generated more than $20.1 billion in funding for over 206,750 single-family mortgage loans, helped finance more than 110,000 rental units, and assisted more than 51,400 families in avoiding foreclosure. PHFA operations are funded primarily through the sale of securities and program fees, not public tax dollars.
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