What We Believe

Housing is a basic human right. Everyone deserves a safe, affordable place to live.

  • Homes are too expensive because there aren’t enough of them. A shortage of rental and for-sale options drives competition and pushes prices up.

  • More homes benefit everyone. Welcoming new neighbors strengthens communities and local economies.

  • A diverse state needs diverse housing choices. Every region should offer a range of home types and price points.

  • Fairness requires shared responsibility. Every community must contribute to meeting the state’s housing needs.

  • Housing challenges are regional. One town’s zoning decisions affect many others. Solving the housing shortage requires action from both local and state governments.

The Problem: A Statewide Housing Shortage

Pennsylvania faces a severe, statewide shortage of homes that threatens the state’s economic strength, workforce stability, and community well-being.

According to the 2024 Housing Underproduction report from Up for Growth, Pennsylvania needs more than 105,000 homes to meet current demand. Significant shortages exist across all regions, including Philadelphia, the Lehigh Valley, Lancaster, York, Reading, Harrisburg, and more.

This shortage has real consequences:

  • Rising home prices and rents that outpace wages

  • Longer commutes and more pollution as people move farther from job centers

  • Seniors stuck in homes that no longer meet their needs

  • Young adults unable to find affordable homes near family, work, or opportunity

  • Increasing homelessness as even the lowest-cost housing becomes unaffordable

Without urgent action, more Pennsylvanians will be priced out of the communities where they work, live, and grew up.

Our Policy Priorities

We are calling on the Pennsylvania General Assembly to pass statewide legislation that:

  1. Restores Missing Housing Options: Re-legalize townhomes, duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes in larger municipalities—housing types that historically provided affordable, attainable homes.

  2. Brings Back Starter Homes: Allow modest-size homes to be built on modest-size lots, making it possible again for first-time buyers to enter the housing market.

  3. Allows More Housing Near Jobs: Permit apartments and mixed-use buildings in commercial areas, expanding housing choices close to employment centers, transit, and walkable downtowns.

  4. Legalizes Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs): Make it easy for homeowners to build backyard cottages and other small accessory units, which are flexible housing options for seniors, young adults, caregivers, and renters.