WHEREAS, More than 280,000 occupied units in the Commonwealth have moderate to severe physical inadequacies, including leaky roofs or windows, blown fuses or exposed wiring, unreliable heat, and the lack of a flushing toilet; and
WHEREAS, Inadequate funding available to address emergency, basic systems, and habitability repairs prevents home repair service providers from preserving thousands of homes each year because deferred maintenance issues need to be resolved before applicants can receive weatherization, energy efficiency, and adaptive modification services; and
WHEREAS, Deferred maintenance may result in a variety of health and safety issues including exposure to mold and lead, inability to keep warm in the winter and cool in the summer, and high utility bills; and
WHEREAS, Homeowners, landlords, service providers, and administrators struggle to navigate differing eligibility requirements across programs supported through our existing home repair infrastructure because many counties lack the capacity to coordinate intake, sequence available programs, and provide comprehensive home repairs; and
WHEREAS, The success of local home repair interventions hinges upon the availability of skilled workers employed by licensed and insured businesses, but there are not enough skilled home repair professionals to meet an increased demand; and
WHEREAS, The climate crisis has caused temperatures in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to increase by 1.8F in the last century, and a 10% increase in precipitation, creating more potential problems for homeowners with deferred maintenance issues; and
WHEREAS, Housing affordability and the climate crisis are both equity issues, with communities of color and low-income communities more at-risk for severe impacts; and
WHEREAS, The Whole-Home Repairs Act would cover funding gaps for local governments and non-profits in order to address emergency, basic systems, and habitability repairs, provide technical assistance and case management services, coordinate intake, achieve comprehensive home repairs by sequencing programs, and provide job seekers with the wrap-around services needed to complete workforce development programs; and
WHEREAS, Several other states, including Delaware, Indiana, and Minnesota, have successfully implemented similar “Pre-Weatherization” programs; and
WHEREAS, The Philadelphia Energy Authority has launched its Built to Last program, which coordinates services, fills funding gaps, and provides workforce training to fundamentally restore homes to a state of good repair and provide pipelines to family-supporting and sustaining work; and
WHEREAS, Adopting the Whole-Home Repairs Act will crucially assist with coordination among existing Weatherization and Pre-Weatherization programs and make a significant step toward addressing homes holistically, improve community health, and protect the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby call on the Pennsylvania General Assembly to adopt the Whole-Home Repairs Act (Senate Bill 1135) and thank Senator Nikil Saval for his commitment to creating safe, efficient, resilient housing in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this Resolution be presented to Senator Nikil Saval, further evidencing the sincere respect of this legislative body.
End