Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams and White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Tom Perez spoke with Harrisburg homeowner Damon Taylor.
A senior White House official visited Harrisburg on Tuesday to talk up affordable housing.
Tom Perez, director of intergovernmental affairs for President Joe Biden, toured several recent housing developments in the city, while touting the federal government’s efforts to increase housing opportunities across the country.
“Our housing crisis is indeed a crisis,” Perez said, during a press conference outside the recently built affordable houses on the 200-block of Hummel Street. “When you have a roof over your head, you have dignity. That’s what it’s about, and that’s what it’s about for Joe Biden.”
Perez, along with Mayor Wanda Williams and other local officials, toured one of the five Hummel Street homes, which Harrisburg-based Tri-County Housing cut the ribbon on in April. The houses were built to provide homeownership opportunities to lower-income families in the city and used $250,000 from the commonwealth’s share of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to support the project.
“We are inching closer to our goal of making sure anyone in the city who needs an affordable place to live has the ability to rest their head easy at the end of the day,” Williams said.
Additionally, Perez visited homeowner Damon Taylor who lives on the 1500-block of Swatara Street, another house that was built as part of a project by Tri-County Housing for lower-income families.
“It feels great to have something you can call your own,” said Taylor, who has previously experienced homelessness. “I would not be here if it wasn’t for these programs.”
Perez said that the federal government will continue to invest in housing efforts, noting Biden’s proposed measure to give $10,000 tax breaks to first-time homebuyers.
“President Biden will continue to pay very careful attention to the issue of housing and affordability because we know we’ve made much progress, but we also know that we have to finish the job,” Perez said.
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