Letters to the Editor | July 26, 2024

The July 15 article about “winners and losers” in Pennsylvania’s new state budget neglected to mention one of the biggest “losers”: Pennsylvania’s tens of thousands of low-income homeowners.

In July 2022, the Whole-Homes Repairs Act was passed with bipartisan support, and $125 million to address deferred maintenance needs for lower-income homeowners. Last year, another $50 million was approved due to the program’s impact, but this crucial funding was blocked and remains so this year because of partisan politics.

Since its enactment, the Whole-Home Repairs Program has repaired thousands of homes across the state, becoming a national model. Multiple states are looking to replicate it, and the federal government has proposed a pilot program.

Without this program, thousands of Pennsylvanians would live in unhealthy homes or be forced to leave their communities. Blocking funding this year leaves more families vulnerable. These hardworking households, residing in every county across the state, defer critical maintenance because of limited financial resources.

The 2021 American Housing Survey estimates that 234,700 units in Pennsylvania are inadequate, lacking basic systems, full-functioning bathrooms or kitchens, or presenting severe safety risks.

Continuing to block this funding is a betrayal of Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable homeowners. Our leaders must prioritize their constituents’ and communities’ needs over partisan politics.

Carrie Rathmann, Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia, carrier@habitatphiladelphia.org

Recently, our news channels, including The Inquirer, have been laser-focused on the reality television saga that is American politics. In this discourse, the news is discussing which side will win, what is wrong with the other party, who is a bad person for this reason and that reason. In all this mess, important issues are being sidelined.

Globally, 736 million people live in extreme poverty, and one in 10 people in developing regions are living on less than $1.90 a day. Further, two billion people worldwide suffer from food insecurity. In the tumult of American politics, it is easy for Americans and the developed world to ignore these issues. However, for those living in impoverished conditions, a spotlight even as simple as a letter to the editor can change the course of hundreds of lives.

As a contributor to the Borgen Project, a national nonprofit that fights global poverty through political advocacy, it is impossible to ignore global poverty. Almost as impossible as ignoring the constant stream of chaotic political updates from every news source, local and national.

Carlie Duggan, Newtown

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