Bill > HR104

This resolution directs the Joint State Government Commission to conduct a comprehensive study on Housing First programs, a housing approach that provides permanent housing to unhoused individuals without preconditions. The study will examine the cost and effectiveness of Housing First initiatives across the United States, with a specific focus on Pennsylvania, where 14,088 individuals are currently unhoused. The commissioned report must include several key components: an assessment of the unhoused population in the state, analysis of Housing First programs in other locations like California and Utah, evaluation of the Department of Veterans Affairs' Housing First approach, comparison of costs between Housing First and traditional shelter-based programs, examination of how recent events like the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in living costs impact homelessness, and investigation of how being unhoused affects children's academic performance. The Joint State Government Commission is authorized to request non-protected information from state agencies and must submit a detailed report with findings and recommendations to legislative leadership within 18 months of the resolution's adoption, providing a comprehensive overview of potential strategies to address homelessness in Pennsylvania.

Housing and Urban Affairs

https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/bill_history.cfm?syear=2025&sind=0&body=H&type=R&bn=104