January 2026 | Legislative Update
 State Legislative Update It’s a new year and a new start for our collective work to make more funding available and improve state public policy to make a home within reach for all Pennsylvanians. For us, this means funding home repair, blight remediation, and unsheltered homelessness assistance; reducing barriers to seeking a new apartment by sealing eviction records, and eliminating the uncertainty of local zoning decisions. We spend a lot of time making sure that our website is updated on the status of legislation that matters so please continue to check it out to stay informed! Visit https://housingalliancepa.org/our-top-priorities/ We have a number of ways for you to get informed and find out how you can get engaged on a number of our policy priorities. Limited Access to Eviction Records & Unsheltered Homelessness: A Pennsylvania Policy Update | February 12, 2026 2 PM – 3 PM Multi-Family in Commercial Zones: A Pennsylvania Zoning Policy Update | February 19, 2026 12 PM- 12:30 PM Home Repair: A Pennsylvania Policy Update| February 25, 2026 11 PM – 11:30 PM This month, we profile our policy priority to seal eviction court case records to give tenants who face eviction a second chance. HB 1095 is championed by Rep Ismail (Izzy) Smith-Wade-El who joins us for our Policy Update Feb 12. It’s about fairness – a value everyone can get behind. |
| We All Deserve Another Chance: How Sealing Eviction Case Records Is Simply Fair Join us on February 12 to hear directly from Representative Ismail Smith-Wade-El on actions we can take to pass HB 1095, Fair Housing Access: Sealing Eviction Records to Protect Tenants & Communities. This legislation passed the House and is awaiting consideration in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Housing Alliance strongly advocated with state legislators for support of this legislation and we thank all of those who joined us. We are actively connecting with legislators and sharing stories that highlight the real-life impact of eviction records. We need you too! What would this legislation do?: The bill would seal public access to eviction court case records after seven years. In cases where the tenant prevailed in court, the record would be sealed immediately. Why is this legislation needed?: Mary was already working two jobs to support herself and her two young sons. When she suddenly lost one of her jobs, she fell behind on rent while trying to juggle work, child care, and daily life on her own. After her eviction, she applied for apartment after apartment, only to be turned away. One landlord told her outright that her eviction record was the reason. “I did everything I could,” she said. “I worked, I planned, I tried—but it still wasn’t enough. It felt like I’d be punished forever.” – 2025 Focus Group Participant | Bucks County Opportunity Council Stories like this are all too common. The vast majority of evictions are due to a tenant falling behind in paying rent. And falling behind in paying rent is easy to do. Rent growth has outpaced wages in Pennsylvania. A 2025 Pew study reports that rents in Pennsylvania rose 46% over a five-year period, while wages increased by 26% over the same timeframe. In Pennsylvania, eviction filings remain on public record indefinitely—unlike credit reports or bankruptcies—creating lasting obstacles for renters who fell behind due to life circumstances, not harmful behavior. Our own Housing Alliance survey of landlords told us that the vast majority of landlords will not rent to someone with an eviction on their record. This legislation will give renters a real second chance at finding a new home without a permanent mark on their housing history. More About Eviction Even with Pennsylvania’s unemployment at historic lows, many people facing eviction are working. According to a study by the United Way, over 1 million Pennsylvanians hold jobs that don’t pay enough to cover basic needs like rent, child care, and health care. When workers lose hours or experience short-term disruptions, they can quickly fall behind on rent. An eviction record can then make recovery nearly impossible. When renters are denied housing because of a past eviction, they are pushed into unstable living situations that make it harder to keep a job, take on better hours, or move forward financially. Eviction records don’t just block housing; they undermine employment and long-term economic stability for working families. How Can I Help? Stay engaged as we share opportunities to take action, and join us on Thursday, February 12 at 2:00 p.m. to hear directly from Representative Ismail Smith-Wade-El about this legislation. Join the Webinar Learn more: Download our Limited Access Factsheet |