PRINTER'S NO. 2682
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 2098
Session of
2024
INTRODUCED BY N. NELSON, GIRAL, HILL-EVANS, BULLOCK, KINSEY,
MADDEN, FREEMAN, KAZEEM, SANCHEZ, BURGOS, SMITH-WADE-EL,
GUENST, CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, CERRATO, ROZZI, DELLOSO, KRAJEWSKI,
SHUSTERMAN, KHAN, CONKLIN AND GREEN, MARCH 12, 2024
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT,
MARCH 12, 2024
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of December 18, 1992 (P.L.1376, No.172),
2 entitled "An act providing for the establishment and
3 administration of an affordable housing program; and imposing
4 additional powers and duties on the Department of Community
5 Affairs," providing for municipal housing obligation program.
6 This act may be referred to as the Combating Homelessness
7 Across Municipalities in Pennsylvania (CHAMP) Act.
8 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
9 hereby enacts as follows:
10 Section 1. The act of December 18, 1992 (P.L.1376, No.172),
11 known as the Pennsylvania Affordable Housing Act, is amended by
12 adding a section to read:
13 Section 6.1. Municipal housing obligation program.
14 (a) Obligation.--A municipality shall provide housing for
15 individuals residing in this Commonwealth and shall develop a
16 housing obligation plan that provides housing opportunities in
17 accordance with the timeline under subsection (b).
18 (b) Development.--A municipality shall develop a housing
 1 obligation plan that specifies how the municipality plans to
2 increase housing opportunities within the municipality's
3 jurisdiction with the goal of offering at least one housing
4 opportunity to each individual or household that had already
5 established long-term residency within the jurisdiction and is
6 now experiencing homelessness by January 1, 2030, based on the
7 most recent point-in-time count. A municipality shall have
8 access to county-based resources and resources made available by
9 HUD and the Commonwealth to provide the housing opportunities
10 specified in the municipality's housing obligation plan.
11 (c) Ongoing homelessness services.--Nothing in this section
12 shall be construed to require a municipality to provide the
13 operation of ongoing homelessness services. A municipality shall
14 only be required to develop and implement a housing obligation
15 plan that offers the requisite housing opportunities.
16 (d) Submission.--A municipality shall submit a housing
17 obligation plan to the department and post the plan on the
18 municipality's publicly accessible Internet website by January
19 1, 2025. The municipality shall update the housing obligation
20 plan on or before January 1 of each subsequent year after
21 January 1, 2025.
22 (e) Contents.--A municipality's housing obligation plan
23 shall include information on all of the following:
24 (1) The procedures to satisfy the municipality's housing
25 obligation plan, including specific projects and completion
26 deadlines.
27 (2) The progress completed to date by the municipality
28 to reduce the number of homeless individuals within the
29 municipality's jurisdiction.
30 (3) The integration of the municipality's housing
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 1 obligation plan with the municipality's regional housing
2 needs.
3 (4) The measures taken by the municipality to consult
4 with the regional housing advisory committees to ensure that
5 the municipality's housing obligation plan is consistent with
6 the CHAS.
7 (5) If a municipality partners and creates a joint
8 municipal housing obligation plan to satisfy the obligation
9 under this section, the municipality may apply to the
10 department and request approval of a joint municipal housing
11 obligation plan that allows for partnership with other
12 municipalities for housing opportunities and other services.
13 Any joint municipal housing obligation plan approved under
14 this paragraph shall include options and methods for a
15 resident to access employment, schools, social services and
16 medical services. If the department denies a plan, the
17 department shall clearly state the reasons for the denial and
18 allow a municipality to submit an amended joint municipal
19 housing obligation plan. The department shall develop an
20 application for a joint municipal housing obligation plan and
21 make the plan available on the department's publicly
22 accessible Internet website. The department shall approve any
23 joint municipal housing obligation plan within 30 days of the
24 submission of the application.
25 (f) Review.--The department shall review each housing
26 obligation plan before the department distributes grants under
27 this act each year to determine whether each housing obligation
28 plan includes a sufficient number of housing opportunities. The
29 department shall respond to each municipality in writing upon
30 the conclusion of the department's review. If the department
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 1 determines that a housing obligation plan does not identify a
2 sufficient number of housing opportunities, the department may
3 make recommendations for how the municipality can improve the
4 municipality's housing obligation plan. The municipality shall
5 notify the department if the municipality will implement the
6 department's recommendations or provide alternative methods to
7 improve the municipality's housing obligation plan.
8 (g) Definitions.--As used in this section, the following
9 words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this
10 subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
11 "Housing opportunity." The provision of any of the following
12 to an individual or household experiencing homelessness:
13 (1) Rental subsidies.
14 (2) Access to a permanent housing unit.
15 (3) Access to secure and sanitary encampment, temporary
16 shelter, hotel, transitional housing or another form of
17 affordable housing.
18 "Municipality." A city, town, borough or township in this
19 Commonwealth.
20 "Point-in-time count." A count of sheltered and unsheltered
21 homeless individuals on a single evening during the last 10 days
22 in January or at any other time as required by HUD.
23 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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Statutes/Laws affected:
Printer's No. 2682: P.L.1376, No.172