Rural Housing

Policy Committee    August 11, 2026

COLLEGE TOWNSHIP, Aug. 11– As housing costs continue to rise and homes become harder to attain for working Pennsylvanians, every corner of the commonwealth is seeing the impact of the ongoing housing crisis. Rural areas of the state are especially feeling this pressure. The House Majority Policy Committee convened a roundtable discussion in Centre County Tuesday to discuss potential solutions to the housing crisis and help more people put a roof over their heads. More than half of Pennsylvania’s existing homes were built before 1970, including more than 1.5 million homes built before 1940. That issue is compounded by the costs of housing stock continuing to soar and construction costs not keeping up with demand. 

• Host: Rep. Paul Takac (D-Centre)
• Testifiers:
  • Kevin Bush- Deputy Secretary for Housing, Pa. Dept. of Community and Economic Development
  • Johanna Byrd- Policy Director, Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania
  • Gregory Scott- President and CEO, Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County

Agenda + Testimony

• Roundtable Agenda and Testimony: Rural Housing

Media Release + News Coverage

• Rural housing attainability focus of House Majority Policy roundtable, August 11, 2026
• WJAC, Experts hold roundtable in College Twp. to discuss statewide affordable housing crisis, August 11, 2026
• WTAJ, State, local officials discuss methods to alleviate rural housing crisis, August 11, 2026

Photos

• Click here to view photos of the roundtable discussion