RHLS joined the Coalition for Equitable Energy and Housing in Pennsylvania to submit recommendations on PA Act 129. As the PUC prepares to oversee Phase 5, it is more important than ever to help multi-family residences bring down their utility costs. Read more on our website:

We are glad to see that PECO is increasing its aid to low-income consumers, but as PULP ED Liz Marx points out, it is a band-aid solution at best. Read more: buff.ly/bF8Zz9n

Reentry programs like this one in Charlotte are braced for budget cuts as the trickle-down effects of the last budget bill are felt throughout the social justice space:

Good news, more housing is coming to the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, and it will be deeply affordable:

RHLS was proud to partner with Catholic Housing and Community Services on the St Katherine Drexel senior apartments. Read more on our website:

Eviction impacts black families harder in large part due to a lack of access to legal representation. Legal aid saves homes.

"We will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope."

Attaching racist polices to bills masquerading as "tough on drugs/crime" allowed law makers too look good while denying people of color their rights, especially to fair housing practices. Read more about the history of fair housing exemptions and the impact they carry:

Despite high demand, the whole home repair program has failed to get funded by the PA Budget.

Attorneys are needed to provide #probono representation at Protection from Abuse (PFA) hearings, weekly in Doylestown. Volunteers for plaintiffs especially needed: 💚 Wed, Feb. 11 & 18, 2026 Volunteer for plaintiffs: [email protected] or 215-398-6757 Defense: Contact Bucks County Bar Assoc.

More of Trump retribution agenda: Proposed rule to to weaken enforcement of Fair Housing Act out tomorrow. In midst of a housing crisis. Before he was a convicted felon Trump was a Fair Housing violator.

Did you know? Next Monday is Justice Fest '26, a free community music festival uplifting the spirit of justice, unity, and service. 📅 Date: MLK Day, January 19, 2025📍 Location: Crane Community Center 1001 Vine Street⏰ Time: 1-5 PM Sign up today:

The DOJ will investigate Boston for "reverse racism", a spurious claim that the city allows people of color to get all of the available affordable housing. This may be in reaction to the lawsuit that Boston filed against Trump. Read more:

Get free help with discharge upgrades, Veterans Treatment Court & VA benefits! 🗓 Wed, Jan. 21, 2026, 5:30-8pm 📍PSU Brandywine, 25 Yearsley Mill Road (Main Bdg, Rm 113), Media 19063 ✅Register by 1/16: 484-744-3269 Info: lasp.org/events

Home sharing isn't new, but an official program that supports the approach will only make it stronger.

Single-room occupancy buildings used to be a common living model, but they fell out of favor. Now, some want to bring them back, what do you think? Will they help the housing crisis? Or will people reject such a space?

Did you know? Esperanza operates a Community Land Trust that helps low-income Philadelphians rent affordable homes and remain in their community. Read more:

The RHLS Policy Team responds to the ruling by the Commonwealth Court on the Borough of Pottstown’s rental inspection ordinance, "Rivera II". Read it on our website:

Want to know more about PA's Act 129 Energy Efficiency and Conservation program? Join us for lunch on January 7? Click on the link for more information and to register: buff.ly/IQqRMn3

Houses above a library? This trend of combining housing with commercial spaces has just had its best idea ever!

#ICYMI Check out our story about Bloom Heights on our website, new housing in northeast PA:

Santa Fe has long had a living wage ordinance, but it will update this by tying the minimum wage to housing prices, meaning workers will get a raise in 2027. What do you think? Is this a good model to follow?

What can we do differently in the criminal justice system? A story from Indianapolis

#ICYMI Read about the Depaul House on our website:

Habitability in our aging housing stock becomes more of an issue each year.

Have a peaceful holiday season.

A 3D-printed home is being built in Centre County, advocates say it will be constructed more efficiently and cost-effectively. What do you think? Would you live in a 3-D printed house?

Hostile architecture is everywhere, and its only purpose is to exclude unwanted elements, i.e., the homeless. People who aren't affected by it don't notice it.

Check out the RHLS winter newsletter!

"The National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) released a report examining housing discrimination in 2024, ....with a record number of housing discrimination complaints, in an environment where the Trump ...has taken dramatic actions to undercut fair housing funding."

Mayor Parker's big HOME initiative will not reach the poorest and most vulnerable city residents, advocates warn:

Opinion: philanthropy does not engage enough in the housing justice space, it could do more:

Homeowners insurance is making the affordable housing crisis worse. buff.ly/tfOuklT

As ICE agents fan out to detain and deport undocumented immigrants, their enforcement actions are creating unease among workers on building sites across the U.S., deepening the already severe labor shortage, slowing the pace of construction and driving up costs. buff.ly/leAGgzY

RHLS Board member, Fred Bañuelos, spoke out against corporate ownership of affordable housing and pushed for solutions to the housing crisis. The rising price of housing is particularly dramatic in the Lehigh Valley, and corporate home purchases are hurting communities.

More than a year in, the "500 in 500" housing initiative is working! More than 600 people have found affordable housing in Pittsburgh so far. Read more about it on our website:

RHLS ED Dina Schlossberg and Senior Staff Attorney Kelly Prokop were happy to attend the grand opening of Mosaic Apartments in Pittsburgh. We worked on this housing development that is an inclusive and supportive space for seniors in the LGBTQ+ community.

Interesting case study on housing justice from Missouri, a model that relies on connection and advocacy, read on:

RHLS has updated the Low Income Housing Tax Credit tenant manual. Full of important and interesting information on rent calculation, special rights and protections and more. Go to our website and download the guide in English and Spanish:

The interesting thing about eviction filings is that they are often clustered in a building or landlord. Would advocacy with bad actors help resolve the over-reliance on eviction filing?

Should the government stand back and let private business build housing? Or should it participate intentionally? Lessons from Washington, DC:

Lessons from South Carolina: eviction diversion programs are vital for tenants who would otherwise have a black mark on their rental history.

RHLS has joined forces with the Corporation for Supportive Housing to work a report on funding more supportive housing in the Commonwealth. Read more about this important work on our website:

Housing is a nationwide crisis, but each state takes a different approach to solving it. What can we learn from their successes? Higher density, more transit-oriented and a more flexible approach to ADUs, read on:

Some nice news on a Friday, congratulations to CDPI!

"Bluelining", the practice of withholding homeowners' insurance on areas deemed at risk from climate change, isn't based on racism in the same way that redlining was, but it will have the same impact. Read more

Utah provides a picture of how homelessness may be treated under trump:

Interested in a CLE about the Affordable Housing Crisis in Philadelphia? RHLS Senior Counsel Judy Berkman helped plan it. Register today! buff.ly/ixpYZaT @PhillyBarAssoc.bsky.social