HARRISBURG, PA — More than 43,000 federally supported rental units across Pennsylvania could lose affordability restrictions over the next decade, representing about a third of existing federally supported properties and putting preservation efforts under increasing pressure, according to a study released by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency.
The study, Understanding and Preserving Federally Supported Housing in Pennsylvania, found that affordability restrictions are scheduled to expire on existing units faster than new federally subsidized housing is being added.
PHFA produced the report with the Housing Initiative at Penn to assess the state’s federally supported rental inventory and identify properties at risk of losing affordability protections.
More than 180,000 rental units across 2,885 Pennsylvania developments currently receive support through federal programs, including Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, HOME funding and project-based Section 8.
Those programs generally impose affordability requirements for specified periods. Once those restrictions expire, units can leave the federally supported affordable housing inventory unless additional measures are taken to preserve them.
The average Pennsylvania county has 23 federally supported properties containing 1,029 units, according to the study.
The exposure is more concentrated in some areas. In 17 counties, units with expiring restrictions account for at least one-third of the existing federally subsidized inventory. Nine counties could see affordability restrictions expire on 40% of their federally supported units during the next decade.
The report also identifies rising rents and operating costs as a financial pressure on preservation efforts. Even if federal funding remains flat, higher costs could strain properties dependent on that support or reduce the number of units that available funding can sustain.
“Understanding the current stake and future risks of affordable housing is critical because housing is core to the strength and stability of residents and business,” PHFA Executive Director and CEO Robin Wiessmann said.
The findings will help PHFA and other housing organizations prioritize preservation investments as the state develops a new system for tracking publicly financed affordable housing.
Act 21 of 2026 requires PHFA to create the Pennsylvania Affordable Housing Preservation Tracker, a searchable database covering publicly financed rental housing subject to affordability restrictions administered by the agency.
The tracker is scheduled to become publicly available in 2027 and will be updated annually using available data.
The full study is available at https://www.phfa.org/housingstudy/.
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