Housing
Serving More People in the Community
Housing is critical to a person's health and well-being. DHS believes that too many Pennsylvanians who have extremely low incomes are rent-burdened, too many people experience homelessness or are at risk of homelessness, and too many people who live in institutions could live in the community with assistance.
The housing program will approach housing challenges in Pennsylvania by:
- Removing barriers unique to each person
- Connecting people with housing opportunities
- Expanding affordable housing in PA
- Partnering with local agencies
- Utilizing data to measure progress
- Pooling resources and sharing ideas
5-Year Housing Strategy
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services' Housing Strategy is a five-year comprehensive plan to connect Pennsylvanians to affordable, integrated, accessible, and supportive housing.
The strategy was first launched in 2016 in partnership with the Pennsylvania Housing and Finance Agency and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, as well as other local, state, and federal agencies. A year after the successful launch, DHS received feedback from stakeholders and updated the strategy to clarify goals and reorganize information.
Housing Stakeholder Workgroup
The Housing Stakeholder Workgroup was established by DHS to collect stakeholder input on issues of Housing policy development and program administration within the context of implementing the Housing Strategy.
Supporting Innovation
DHS is committed to addressing social determinants of health like housing around Pennsylvania. Through this commitment, we are exploring the connection between homelessness or housing instability, health outcomes, and health care spending.