Fiedler announces Housing Working Group to tackle rent and mortgage issues during COVID-19 pandemic
Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler August 13, 2020 | 11:46 AM
HARRISBURG, August 13 – Today, state Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler, D-Phila., announced the formation of a statewide Housing Working Group to deal with the impact of COVID-19 and address the serious housing needs of renters and homeowners across her legislative district and the commonwealth.
“The goal of this working group I helped create with the House Democratic Caucus is to give our constituents a direct way to share their opinions and experiences with us and with the governor. Everyone should have a place to call home always, but especially during this pandemic.”
The Housing Working Group will bring together lived experiences from residents across Fiedler’s district and the commonwealth, as well as draw on internal multidisciplinary support in the fields of urban affairs, human services, local government and more. Members of the Working Group have dedicated themselves to pushing for a variety of legislative and executive actions to ensure everyone has a place to call home.
Fiedler encouraged Pennsylvanians to share their experiences and to voice their opinions by completing a new public online form launched today by House Democrats. The form will remain open for public comment for a week, after which lawmakers will process and submit it to the governor with their recommendations for action. The state’s foreclosure and eviction moratorium is slated to expire on Aug. 31. Fiedler said part of her motivation for the creation of the public form and Working Group was because her office is hearing from a lot of people with serious concerns about housing.
“While families across my district struggle to figure out how to deal with the health, education and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to address these challenges as the state government. The housing crisis we face is an interconnected network. We need to make sure small landlords are supported and that the fabric of our neighborhoods is preserved. And, above all, that everyone has a roof over their head.”
Fiedler said she has heard from many people who are very worried about the fast-approaching expiration of the state’s foreclosure and eviction moratorium, slated for Aug. 31.