Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson (D-At-Large) and Councilmember Cherelle L. Parker (D-9th Dist.) introduced a resolution last week calling on the Pennsylvania General Assembly to adopt the “Whole Home Repairs Act,” sponsored by State Senator Nikil Saval (D-1st Dist.). The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania currently has an estimate of more than 280,000 occupied units that need repairs, from leaky roofs or windows to blown fuses or exposed wiring to unreliable heat and plumbing.
The Whole Home Repair Act (Senate Bill 1135) would make funding available for local governments and non-profits to coordinate services, make comprehensive systems repairs, and provide wraparound services to those in workforce development programs. Making whole-home repairs will improve community health and safety, help address poverty, and reduce carbon emissions.
“Our homes are more than physical structures. They are our places of safety and comfort, where we gather with loved ones,” said Gilmore Richardson, who is chair of City Council’s committee on the environment. “Lately, they are also where we work. A home is the central wealth-building tool for American families, but far too many Philadelphians are grappling with the effects of an unsafe home. The very thing that is supposed to provide stability, wealth, health, and safety is crumbling around them. The Whole Home Repair Act invests fully in our communities by addressing health and safety, reducing energy burden, and creating job opportunities. With this program, we will be able to address our goals to mitigate climate change, build resiliency, maintain generational wealth, and create new economic opportunities.”
“I am pleased to be joining fellow Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson in support of the Whole Home Repairs program,” Parker said. “It is a much-needed investment in our aging housing stock. This program further improves self-sufficiency, creating a means to help residents across Philadelphia maintain their homes, preserve communities, and prevent displacement – a valuable tool to have in the neighborhood preservation toolbox.”
“Hundreds of thousands of people across our state are living in homes that are unsafe because they can’t afford to make the needed repairs,” said Senator Nikil Saval (1st Senate District). “Passing the Whole-Home Repairs Act will permanently move the needle on Pennsylvania’s housing crisis. I’m incredibly grateful to Councilmembers Gilmore Richardson and Parker for their support and their advocacy—they’re powerful allies in this fight for our homes and our communities.”
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