About: Accomplishments 2005

Mission | What We Do | Past Highlights | 2006 Legislative Wrap-Up | Accomplishments 2005 | Accomplishments 2004 | Accomplishments 2003

In 2005 the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania, with our friends and allies, worked for and won significant legislative advances for affordable homes:

• Passage of state legislation establishing the Philadelphia Housing Trust Fund.
• Organized a strange bedfellows coalition including the Pennsylvania Builders Association and 10,000 Friends of PA that won $65 milllion dollars for “smart growth” community development projects through Growing Greener.
• Successfully organized PA opposition to federal HUD budget cuts, winning reluctant support of PA Senators.
• Invited by national coalitions to spearhead PA effort to gain appropriation for supportive services for chronically homeless people.
• Passage of three vacant property bills with bipartisan, bicameral support:
  • Eliminated Redemption on tax foreclosure of vacant properties.
  • Streamlining of tax foreclosure through single petition filing.
  • Credit Reporting of Tax Liens.
  • Two other bills are in the pipeline.
• Gained a committment from Urban Affairs leaders to introduce major legislation to reform tax foreclosure and establish vacant property receivership.
• Invited to join successful high-powered coalition which successfully fought increasing the Realty Transfer Tax.

• Selected by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) for research team to conduct focus groups for statewide housing study.
• Invited to consult with the City of Reading on vacant property initiatives.
• Invited to be part of national pilot Fannie Mae Foundation Public Education Initiative, which resulted in:
  • Training of 600 people on new framing and language statewide
  • Publication of more than 30 newspaper, radio and TV stories articles statewide
• Organized the first-ever statewide Homes within Reach three-day conference, which drew 450 participants and 45 paid sponsors from 110 different cities and towns, and 10 states.
• Worked with the Federal Reserve Bank on a report on the State of Rental Housing with recommendations for change. (The report is due out fall 2006 or winter 2007.)
• Increased our membership to nearly 500 organizations and individuals; more than doubled the number of funders.
• Annually the Housing Alliance makes about 30 visits to coalitions throughout the state.

  Mission | What We Do | Past Highlights | 2006 Legislative Wrap-Up | Accomplishments 2005 | Accomplishments 2004 | Accomplishments 2003