Administered by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA), the Pennsylvania Housing and Rehabilitation Enhancement (PHARE) Fund was established under Act 105 of 2010 to support affordable housing, housing rehabilitation, home modifications, and neighborhood revitalization. Since awarding its first grants in 2013, PHARE has become one of the Commonwealth’s most effective housing programs. According to a March 2024 PHFA report, $177 million in PHARE funding awarded between 2022 and 2024 leveraged more than $1.8 billion in additional investment statewide.
 
That is why I plan to introduce legislation to increase the cap on Realty Transfer Tax revenues dedicated to the PHARE Fund to $150 million beginning in Fiscal Year 2027-28 and maintain that level in future years.
 
Increasing the cap will expand affordable housing, home repair, and down payment assistance programs; preserve existing housing; support vulnerable populations; and strengthen neighborhood revitalization efforts across the Commonwealth.
 
Please join me in co-sponsoring this important legislation to expand housing opportunities and help address Pennsylvania’s growing housing affordability crisis.