Regional Housing Legal Services
@rhlspa.bsky.social
A nonprofit law firm with unique expertise in affordable, sustainable housing and its related components (reposts do not indicate endorsement).
Pinned
Should the government stand back and let private business build housing? Or should it participate intentionally? Lessons from Washington, DC:
To Create Abundant Housing, Ignore the YIMBY Playbook
Washington DC is building more homes per capita than Houston—not with bottom-up zoning reform but with top-down government action.
buff.ly
November 28, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Should the government stand back and let private business build housing? Or should it participate intentionally? Lessons from Washington, DC:
Lessons from South Carolina: eviction diversion programs are vital for tenants who would otherwise have a black mark on their rental history.
In South Carolina, evictions are the ‘scarlet E’ that never go away
North Charleston had the highest eviction rate in the country in 2016. Charleston County has taken steps to address the issue with a housing court program.
buff.ly
November 26, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Lessons from South Carolina: eviction diversion programs are vital for tenants who would otherwise have a black mark on their rental history.
RHLS has joined forces with the Corporation for Supportive Housing to work a report on funding more supportive housing in the Commonwealth. Read more about this important work on our website:
Pathways to 38: RHLS & CSH work together to bring more supportive housing to PA. - RHLS Website
Why is supportive housing so important? Having a home is the first step toward health and stability, but sometimes people require more than just four walls. Lives get disrupted, perhaps by eviction,…
buff.ly
November 25, 2025 at 5:04 PM
RHLS has joined forces with the Corporation for Supportive Housing to work a report on funding more supportive housing in the Commonwealth. Read more about this important work on our website:
Housing is a nationwide crisis, but each state takes a different approach to solving it. What can we learn from their successes? Higher density, more transit-oriented and a more flexible approach to ADUs, read on:
The New Urban Order: States are Solving the Housing Crisis
States provide ideas from around the country that Pennsylvania should steal to create more housing for more people
buff.ly
November 24, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Housing is a nationwide crisis, but each state takes a different approach to solving it. What can we learn from their successes? Higher density, more transit-oriented and a more flexible approach to ADUs, read on:
Some nice news on a Friday, congratulations to CDPI!
RHLS client Community Development of the Poconos, Inc. announces its official launch! - RHLS Website
https://riverreporter.com/stories/community-development-of-the-poconos-inc-launches-to-expand-housing-opportunities,228268
buff.ly
November 21, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Some nice news on a Friday, congratulations to CDPI!
"Bluelining", the practice of withholding homeowners' insurance on areas deemed at risk from climate change, isn't based on racism in the same way that redlining was, but it will have the same impact. Read more
Lessons from Redlining: How We Can Prevent Climate-Driven Insurance Discrimination
As insurance companies and lenders increasingly factor climate risk into their strategies, we may see a resurgence of exclusion that mimics redlining.
buff.ly
November 19, 2025 at 5:02 PM
"Bluelining", the practice of withholding homeowners' insurance on areas deemed at risk from climate change, isn't based on racism in the same way that redlining was, but it will have the same impact. Read more
Utah provides a picture of how homelessness may be treated under trump:
In Utah, Trump’s Vision for Homelessness Begins to Take Shape (Gift Article)
State officials promise large-scale involuntary addiction and mental health treatment at Salt Lake City’s edge. Critics see “a prison, or a warehouse.”
buff.ly
November 18, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Utah provides a picture of how homelessness may be treated under trump:
Interested in a CLE about the Affordable Housing Crisis in Philadelphia? RHLS Senior Counsel Judy Berkman helped plan it. Register today! buff.ly/ixpYZaT
@PhillyBarAssoc.bsky.social
@PhillyBarAssoc.bsky.social
CLE - Solving Philadelphia's Affordable Housing Crisis - RHLS Website
Learn more about the H.O.M.E. Initiative and other existing City programs that seek to address Philadelphia’s housing crisis. 1.5 SUB – SPEAKERS LIVE via WEBCAST Co-Hosted by the Real Property……
buff.ly
November 17, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Interested in a CLE about the Affordable Housing Crisis in Philadelphia? RHLS Senior Counsel Judy Berkman helped plan it. Register today! buff.ly/ixpYZaT
@PhillyBarAssoc.bsky.social
@PhillyBarAssoc.bsky.social
What does a community need? And what are we willing to do in terms of investment to get there? Ponder these and other questions as you read this opinion piece
Affordable Housing Is Not Charity. For Chester County, It’s Business. - MyChesCo
CHESTER COUNTY, PA — Pennsylvania’s Chester County is the wealthiest county in the state. As such, it faces a pressing problem: insufficient affordable housing. Rising real estate values and limited …
buff.ly
November 14, 2025 at 5:04 PM
What does a community need? And what are we willing to do in terms of investment to get there? Ponder these and other questions as you read this opinion piece
Check out this new study: Investors bought 25% of Philly homes each year from 2017-2022;
most of these homes were purchased in predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods;
and the larger investor landlords have higher rate of evictions and code violations.
most of these homes were purchased in predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods;
and the larger investor landlords have higher rate of evictions and code violations.
What Philly’s corporate investors mean for renters and homebuyers
A new study finds investors are snapping up properties in neighborhoods like Germantown and Cobbs Creek — and it could change who can afford to live there.
buff.ly
November 13, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Check out this new study: Investors bought 25% of Philly homes each year from 2017-2022;
most of these homes were purchased in predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods;
and the larger investor landlords have higher rate of evictions and code violations.
most of these homes were purchased in predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods;
and the larger investor landlords have higher rate of evictions and code violations.
Are you coming to Homes Within Reach? We'll see you there!
Check out our staff and Board presentations: buff.ly/gX6CYLs
Check out our staff and Board presentations: buff.ly/gX6CYLs
Join us at Homes Within Reach - RHLS Website
Staff Presentations B8. Building Resilience in Energy Efficiency: Strategies for Programs and Property Owners Periods of uncertainty can stall energy efficiency efforts—yet the need is greater…
rhls.org
November 12, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Are you coming to Homes Within Reach? We'll see you there!
Check out our staff and Board presentations: buff.ly/gX6CYLs
Check out our staff and Board presentations: buff.ly/gX6CYLs
This is interesting, Housing Connector helps connect people to available housing, which we like, and encourage landlords to adjust screening criteria, which we love, but can we trust "tech-for-good nonprofit"? Will it keep data private, for example? Will it overvalue properties?
Zillow and Housing Connector Help 10K People Find Homes
Housing Connector and Zillow, the nation’s most visited real estate app and website, announced that they have successfully helped 10,000 individuals and
buff.ly
November 11, 2025 at 5:04 PM
This is interesting, Housing Connector helps connect people to available housing, which we like, and encourage landlords to adjust screening criteria, which we love, but can we trust "tech-for-good nonprofit"? Will it keep data private, for example? Will it overvalue properties?
The ABA's Affordable Housing Forum will be presenting a webinar that RHLS Staff Attorney Kathryn Oates helped develop. Register today! More info is on our website:
AI in Affordable Housing and Community Development Law: Practical Applications and Ethical Implications. - RHLS Website
The ABA Affordable Housing and Community Development Forum presents : AI in Affordable Housing and Community Development Law: Practical Applications and Ethical Implications. This webinar panel will…
buff.ly
November 10, 2025 at 5:02 PM
The ABA's Affordable Housing Forum will be presenting a webinar that RHLS Staff Attorney Kathryn Oates helped develop. Register today! More info is on our website:
What is housing justice? And how can we practice it in a fundamentally unjust world? Read on for a thoroughly intriguing discussion.
What Does It Mean to Increase Racial Equity in Housing?
Some strategies to increase racial equity aim to increase access to the existing system, while others try to make the system better.
buff.ly
November 7, 2025 at 5:05 PM
What is housing justice? And how can we practice it in a fundamentally unjust world? Read on for a thoroughly intriguing discussion.
RHLS was pleased to work with Vincent's Homes and Depaul USA to make this lovely supportive housing for men in Philadelphia. Read more about the project on our website:
Housing as Healing: Vincent’s Homes and Depaul USA team up in Philadelphia. - RHLS Website
Nestled within a larger religious campus in a quiet neighborhood at the edge of Philadelphia, the small former convent sits surrounded by trees. It is an unexpected oasis largely unseen by the…
buff.ly
November 4, 2025 at 5:05 PM
RHLS was pleased to work with Vincent's Homes and Depaul USA to make this lovely supportive housing for men in Philadelphia. Read more about the project on our website:
Connecting people to food pantries in Philadelphia:
Philly-based nonprofit launches map connecting people to food pantries amid SNAP pause
Sharing Excess’ map, which shows locations in Philly, New York and Chicago, is connecting people to food pantries and distribution sites amid the SNAP pause.
buff.ly
November 3, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Connecting people to food pantries in Philadelphia:
Click on this article to see a list of Central PA food banks that just got a bump to help folks who rely on SNAP:
Over $600k awarded to Central PA projects, food banks
PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) — The Community Foundation for the Alleghenies (CFA) has shared that they’ve awarded over $600,000 in grants and an additional $30,000 to help local food banks. CFA was ab…
buff.ly
November 3, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Click on this article to see a list of Central PA food banks that just got a bump to help folks who rely on SNAP:
Have fun on Halloween!
October 31, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Have fun on Halloween!
A collection of food banks, pantries and related resources can be found by county in the article.
How to find SNAP alternatives in the Philly area — and how to help
If the federal government shutdown continues into November, SNAP payments will dry up for nearly 472,000 residents in Philadelphia alone.
buff.ly
October 30, 2025 at 7:04 PM
A collection of food banks, pantries and related resources can be found by county in the article.
Did you know? The harsh climate of Lake Erie contributes to structural damage, especially to older homes. All the more reason for a home repair program!
Pa. metro area has highest risk of ‘lemon homes’
A study has found the U.S. states and metro areas that hold the highest risk of someone purchasing a "lemon home."
buff.ly
October 30, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Did you know? The harsh climate of Lake Erie contributes to structural damage, especially to older homes. All the more reason for a home repair program!
Mayor Parker's fast-track initiative in Kensington is designed to help people struggling with addiction get the services that they need. What are the outcomes?
New Kensington ‘fast-track court’ lands most with warrants, back into the cycle of addiction and homelessness
Kensington Voice collected and verified data on 87 people who were arrested during the first months of the program and tracked their journeys through the court. Most ended up with Wellness Court…
buff.ly
October 29, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Mayor Parker's fast-track initiative in Kensington is designed to help people struggling with addiction get the services that they need. What are the outcomes?
Client Voices: the RHLS 2025 Satisfaction Survey Report. We invite you to read the results of our latest survey!
RHLS 2025 Client Satisfaction Report: How We're Strengthening Pennsylvania's Affordable Housing Ecosystem - RHLS Website
Our clients are the heart of what we do. That’s why we’re thrilled to share the results of our 2025 Client Satisfaction survey.
buff.ly
October 28, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Client Voices: the RHLS 2025 Satisfaction Survey Report. We invite you to read the results of our latest survey!
Lawmakers are scrambling to protect federal workers from eviction as the government shutdown drags on.
Government shutdown puts federal workers at eviction risk
As the federal government shutdown continues, Massachusetts Senator Lydia Edwards has proposed a bill to protect federal employees from eviction and credit score impacts due to missed paychecks.
buff.ly
October 27, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Lawmakers are scrambling to protect federal workers from eviction as the government shutdown drags on.