Senate Democratic Caucus Policy Committee Hosts Hearing Regarding Solutions for Addressing Housing Affordability

READING, PA − December 17, 2025 − Today, Senate Democratic Policy Committee Chair Nick Miller held a hearing to examine the affordability of housing within the Commonwealth.

"Rising rents are making it harder for families to pursue the dream of homeownership, while also straining household budgets," said Senator Miller. "We must take steps to improve affordability and ease the financial burden of finding housing in Pennsylvania. Today's hearing underscores the urgency of this issue and our commitment to ensuring that Pennsylvanians have the opportunity to thrive."

"Strong neighborhoods and strong communities depend on the availability of safe, affordable housing," said Senator Schwank. "We are seeing everyone from young families to seniors struggling to afford housing and purchase homes as prices skyrocket. This is not an issue that will fix itself, and we need to better understand the problem if we are going to implement solutions in Berks County and beyond."

Rick Siger, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, shared insights from roundtable discussions held across the Commonwealth, where local communities voiced their concerns on housing.

"While each of these communities experienced unique challenges, there were some themes that consistently emerged," Siger said. "From difficulty financing affordable housing projects, delays and added costs to build due to bureaucratic red tape, and a lack of resources for essential services to support our residents at-risk of housing insecurity, each community cited various obstacles that made the development of additional housing units that much more difficult."

Becky A. Bradley, Executive Director of Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, explained from her perspective of the significant mismatch between households of varying incomes and attainably priced housing units.

"So, while we often read about 'missing middle' housing, we found that in Lehigh and Northampton counties we actually have extreme shortages in upper income and lower housing that creates compression in the middle market," said Bradley said. "It is a missing housing problem, not simply one income threshold or another. In other words, the Lehigh Valley has a significant mismatch between households of varying incomes and attainably priced housing units."

Katherine Duque, Chief Operating Officer of Community Action Lehigh Valley, spoke on the urgency to support assistance that has helped residents significantly.

"As we are shifting our focus to combat the issues of affordable rental housing, high eviction rates and the rise of homelessness in our area, I implore the Senate to do the same," said Duque. "Affordable housing is a complex issue that demands comprehensive solutions. Addressing such a multifaceted challenge requires coordinated strategies."

Steve Gieringer, CEO of Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Berks and President/CEO of the Pennsylvania Home Lending Collaborative, spoke on the structural housing affordability crisis.

"Home prices have climbed 35 to 60 percent. Rehab costs routinely hit $80,000 to $120,000," said Gieringer. "Mortgage rates have doubled, cutting buying power for working families by almost 40 percent. Employers across every sector are struggling because their workers cannot afford to live in the communities where they work. This is now a workforce and economic competitiveness issue."

Zachary L. Adams, Executive Director of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, provided testimony on the Center's research into rural housing issues.

"While rural residents make up a smaller share of the national population overall, Pennsylvania's rural population is significant in absolute terms and spans all regions of the Commonwealth," said Adams. "Rural communities are home to older industrial towns, agricultural regions, energy-producing areas, and small boroughs that face distinct housing market conditions. As a result, housing affordability challenges in rural Pennsylvania are not isolated issues; they influence labor force participation, healthcare access, economic development, and community stability statewide."

Gale Schwartz, Director of Programs and Outreach of the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania, spoke on their advocacy to strengthen communities and advance solutions.

"Across Pennsylvania, too many families face impossible choices between rent, food, and medicine," said Schwartz. "Aging homes, rising rents, and stagnant wages are straining communities. The housing crisis cannot be solved overnight, but with vision, clear priorities, and steady action, we can build lasting change."

Testifiers for today's hearing included:

• PA Department of Community and Economic Development
• Lehigh Valley Planning Commission
• Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Berks, Inc.
• PA Realtors Association
• Cortex Residential

Senator Nick Miller was elected Policy Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus in December 2024.

Footage of the hearing, as well as the written testimony of the panel, is available at PASenatorMiller.com/Policy. Photographs and downloadable video are available upon request.

Learn more about the PA Senate Democrats' priorities visit https://www.pasenate.com.

###

Testimony

Commonwealth's Outlook

• Rick Siger, Secretary - PA Department of Community and Economic Development

Local Community Action

• Becky A. Bradley, Executive Director - Lehigh Valley Planning Commission
• Katherine Duque, MS, CCAP, CNS, Chief Operating Officer - Community Action Lehigh Valley
• Stephen Gieringer, Chief Executive Officer - Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Berks, Inc.

Strategic Partnerships

• Zachary L. Adams, Executive Director - Center for Rural Pennsylvania
• Gale Schwartz, Director of Programs and Outreach - Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania
• Sean LaSalle, Associate Broker - Keller Williams, PA Realtors Association
• Jonathan Strauss, Co-Founder and Partner - Cortex Residential