HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania’s top civil rights agency on Monday rolled out a new statewide fair housing report with a blunt message: discriminatory barriers and structural inequities remain entrenched, and the Commonwealth needs a coordinated push to close the gap between law and lived reality.
The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission formally released its State of Fair Housing in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania report during a press conference in the State Capitol Rotunda, assembling elected officials, civil rights advocates, and housing experts to highlight persistent disparities and lay out what the commission described as a practical path toward equal housing opportunity.
“The ability to live without fear of exclusion, retaliation, or bias is central to the promise of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act and to the moral fabric of a just Commonwealth,” PHRC Executive Director Chad Dion Lassiter said. “This report is not simply an academic exercise. It is a call to action.”
PHRC officials said the report examines current housing conditions across Pennsylvania, including patterns of discrimination and structural challenges that continue to shape access and affordability. The report also advances policy and enforcement recommendations intended to tighten protections and sharpen accountability, with an emphasis on problems that can quietly lock families out of stable housing and the economic security that often comes with it.
Among the recommendations cited by the commission are strengthening protections against source-of-income discrimination, addressing disparate impact and segregation, improving code enforcement and habitability standards, and increasing accountability tied to affirmatively furthering fair housing obligations.
“These housing barriers have real impacts on Pennsylvanians who need stable, healthy housing in order to raise their families, to hold down jobs with livable wages, access the care and services they need, and to build the vibrant, resilient communities that we all seek and deserve,” said Brittany Mellinger, PHRC director of fair housing and commercial property.
The event featured remarks from Lassiter and Mellinger, along with Angela McIver, executive director of the Fair Housing Rights Center; state Sens. Katie Muth and Carolyn Comitta; state Reps. Ismail Smith-Wade-El and Tim Twardzik; and PHRC officials Caroline Griffin, director of rural and civic engagement, and Mellinger.
“This white paper grew from a collaborative effort guided by a shared commitment to justice, opportunity, and dignity in housing,” Griffin said. “It offers a clear, practical path forward that is both urgent and within reach.”
Following the presentation, speakers took questions from members of the media and stakeholders on the report’s implications and what comes next. The commission said the full report is available and that a recording of Monday’s press conference can be found at PAcast.com.
The PHRC enforces Pennsylvania laws prohibiting discrimination and investigates complaints involving employment, housing, education, and public accommodations. The agency urged residents who believe they have experienced discrimination to file a complaint by calling 717-787-4410 and said additional information and resources are available through the PHRC website.
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