Pennsylvania Housing Action Plan

Building Housing Opportunity Across the Commonwealth

Housing is a core driver of economic competitiveness, workforce attraction and retention, public health, and community vitality. The Pennsylvania Housing Action Plan sets a clear, statewide strategy to increase housing supply, improve affordability, and stabilize housing outcomes—so communities across the Commonwealth can grow and thrive.

Developed under the leadership of Governor Josh Shapiro, the Housing Action Plan is Pennsylvania’s first-ever comprehensive, data-driven roadmap to address housing needs across urban, suburban, and rural communities. It recognizes that housing challenges vary by region—and that solutions must be tailored, coordinated, and grounded in local data. A Housing Action Plan fact sheet is also available for download.

Why a Housing Action Plan

Pennsylvania is facing a growing gap between housing supply and demand. Without focused, coordinated action:

• The Commonwealth will need to build 450,000 new housing units by 2035 to meet projected demand.
• At current construction rates, Pennsylvania is projected to fall short by nearly 185,000 homes.
• Housing costs continue to rise faster than incomes, with more than 1 million households spending over 30 percent of their income on housing.
• More than half of Pennsylvania’s housing stock is over 50 years old, increasing the need for repairs, reinvestment, and preservation.
• Housing instability and homelessness are rising across urban, suburban, and rural areas.

Housing is not a standalone issue—it directly affects economic growth, workforce availability, public health, and community stability. The Housing Action Plan positions Pennsylvania to respond with coordinated, long-term solutions that meet regional needs and strengthen communities statewide.

How It Was Developed

The Housing Action Plan was shaped through a rigorous, inclusive, and data-driven process that engaged stakeholders from every county in Pennsylvania. The development process included:

• Nearly 2,500 survey responses from residents statewide.
• 15 regional roundtables and multiple listening sessions.
• Input from homeowners, renters, developers, lenders, housing advocates, labor leaders, and local officials.
• Cross-agency collaboration spanning economic development, housing finance, human services, and budget priorities.

This approach ensured the plan reflects real-world conditions, local perspectives, and proven best practices from Pennsylvania and other states — resulting in a comprehensive, actionable strategy for the Commonwealth.

Five Strategic Goals

The Housing Action Plan sets a shared vision to make Pennsylvania a national leader in housing access and affordability by 2035. The plan is organized around five interconnected goals:

• Build and Preserve Pennsylvania’s Housing Stock

  Increase housing production while protecting and reinvesting in existing homes—through infrastructure investment, mixed-use development, home repairs, land banks, and workforce training.

• Expand Housing Opportunity for All Pennsylvanians

  Support first-time homebuyers, renters, older adults, people with disabilities, and historically underserved communities by reducing barriers and expanding access to safe, attainable housing.

• Provide Pathways to Housing Stabilization and Sustainability

  Prevent evictions and foreclosures, address homelessness, protect survivors of domestic violence, and strengthen fair housing enforcement.

• Modernize Pennsylvania’s Housing Development Regulations

  Reduce costs and timelines by cutting red tape, modernizing permitting and zoning processes, and making Pennsylvania the most affordable state in the region to build and preserve housing.

• Achieve Operational Excellence Across State and Local Government

  Improve coordination across agencies, strengthen housing leadership, enhance data sharing, and create a housing one-stop shop to make programs easier to navigate.

Read the Housing Action Plan

Together, the goals of the Housing Action Plan align regulatory reform, targeted investment, and system coordination—recognizing that no single solution will address Pennsylvania’s housing challenges.

The full digital version of the Housing Action Plan is available to view or download.

For questions, speaker requests or or additional information, please contact us at RA-DCEDHousingPlan@pa.gov or reach out to your local DCED Regional Director.