Credit: Montgomery County.
Pennsylvania Sen. Maria Collett announced $4.475 million in grant funding for affordable housing projects and services in Montgomery County through the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement (PHARE) fund.
“Every one of us deserves a safe place to lay our head at night, but rising housing costs and stagnant wages make that nearly impossible for many of our neighbors,” Sen. Collett said. “I’m proud to announce this $4.5 million investment in safe, affordable housing units and housing support services across Montgomery County, and I look forward to continuing to work with partners at every level of government to combat homelessness and the housing insecurity crisis in our communities.”
Grant recipients serving Montgomery County include:
- Access Services – $200,000 for the Rapid Rehousing program to provide housing assistance to Category 1 individuals with substance use disorder.
- Clarifi – $150,000 for a multi-intervention strategy to address barriers to affordable and sustainable housing.
- Commonwealth Housing Legal Services – $300,000 for legal services and technical assistance supporting rental housing creation and preservation rehabilitation.
- Eternal Life Christian Center – $250,000 for necessary rehabilitation on properties housing 29 low-income households in Montgomery County.
- Fair Housing Rights Center in Southeastern PA – $250,000 to further Housing Training and the Trainer Initiative.
- Family Promise Montco PA – $200,000 to assist 50 households with an average of two months of rental and utility assistance and case management services for up to 18 months.
- Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery & Delaware Counties – $200,000 for home rehabilitation projects.
- Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery & Delaware Counties – $250,000 toward the Critical Home Repair Program for income-qualified homeowners.
- Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania – $200,000 to replicate effective homeless and eviction prevention program models in rural and suburban communities.
- Housing Equality Center of Pennsylvania – $100,000 for fair housing counseling.
- Indian Creek Foundation – $375,000 to renovate 11 houses that serve as supported housing for residents with disabilities.
- Pennsylvania Association of Area Agencies on Aging, Inc. – $200,000 to provide shallow subsidies to facilitate and expand shared housing efforts in the 14 counties operating the Shared Housing and Resource Exchange.
- Philadelphia Legal Assistance Center – $200,000 to preserve existing affordable housing by providing outreach, education and legal representation to homeowners facing mortgage or tax foreclosure, and equitable owners, such as heirs, who are not on the deed to their homes.
- Social Enterprise Properties – $400,000 for the Laudenslager Campus Affordable Senior Housing development, which will include 130 new affordable senior housing rental units.
- Your Way Home – $400,000 for their Rapid Rehousing program, providing permanent housing subsidies for up to 100 eligible households.
- Your Way Home – $400,000 for the Supportive Services Project, providing emergency street outreach and crisis response services.
- Your Way Home – $400,000 to fund emergency shelter operations and services for at least 100 eligible households.
The PHARE Program is managed by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. Since 2012, the program has received a portion of the impact fees collected from natural gas companies operating in the state with the goal of addressing an affordable housing shortage caused by the economic impact of drilling. That is supplemented by a portion of the realty transfer tax funding.
A total of 387 housing initiatives received a total of $73 million for fiscal year 2024-25.
