A new state program aims to help some Pennsylvanians make improvements to their homes - and will allocate millions of dollars to the Lehigh Valley. WDIY’s Sarit Laschinsky has more.
The new Whole-Home Repairs program draws $125 million from federal COVID-19 relief funding and will serve as a “one-stop shop” for residents to repair, adapt and weatherize their homes.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, which will administer the program, around $2.7 million will be allocated to Lehigh County, while around $2.27 million will go to Northampton County.
The program was introduced by Democratic State Sen. Nikil Saval in March and passed into law in July 2022. It is expected to start sometime next year.
Recently, Saval and Republican State Sen. Pat Browne were in the Lehigh Valley to announce the publication of the program’s guidelines.
Under the program, qualified homeowners and small landlords will be able to receive up to $50,000 in grants or loans for habitability repairs, accessibility measures, energy efficiency upgrades and other improvements.
Eligible homeowners are those whose household incomes do not exceed 80% of the area median income, while “small landlords” are defined as owning no more than five properties and no more than 15 rental units.
In a release, Browne said the program is the “largest investment the General Assembly has made in recent history, to improve the quality of our existing housing stock.”
The program also allocates resources for support staff to assist applicants, and funds training and pre-apprenticeship programs to build up skilled local workforces.
More information on the Whole-Home Repairs program can be found on the DCED's website here.
(Original air-date: 11/25/22)
