Section 2. Legislative findings and purpose.
It is hereby determined and declared as a matter of legislative finding that:
(1) A substantial number of living units in this
Commonwealth are in deteriorating condition, with many
residents of this Commonwealth residing in homes which do not
conform to applicable health and safety ordinances. This
situation impedes the development of healthy, safe and viable
communities in this Commonwealth.
(2) The problems of declining neighborhoods, including
deteriorating housing with a concomitant loss of property
values and erosion of the tax bases of the affected
communities, negatively impact on the health, safety and
welfare of residents of this Commonwealth.
(3) The encouragement of public-private partnerships
between State and municipal governmental entities and private
financial and corporate institutions to coordinate and
optimize their respective resources is critical to any
serious effort to halt deterioration and revitalize declining
neighborhoods.
(4) The Commonwealth can maximize the number of low-
income and moderate-income housing units by encouraging the
rehabilitation of existing structures.
(5) The Neighborhood Housing Services Programs, as
organized and supported by the Federal Neighborhood
Reinvestment Corporation, have proven themselves as highly
effective and innovative mechanisms for halting the decline
of neighborhoods and stemming the deterioration of housing
units by bringing together the public and private sectors in
a partnership dedicated to the rehabilitation of existing
housing and the restoration of self-worth and self-reliance
to neighborhoods.
(6) State support for the Neighborhood Housing Services
Programs holds promise for the improvement of the quality of
life in those neighborhoods beset with the problems
associated with deteriorating and substandard housing, and
these programs can serve as a model of an effective and
innovative strategy to remedy these problems. Therefore, it is hereby declared to be the policy of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to promote the health, safety and welfare of its inhabitants by the creation of the Pennsylvania Neighborhood Housing Services Program. This program will provide funds to assist in the creation, expansion and support of Neighborhood Housing Services Programs to stem deterioration and decline in identified neighborhoods, which impair economic value, and public revenues, discourage private investment and detract from the overall quality of life in this Commonwealth.