U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean Helps Celebrate $3.95 Million in Grants to Support Homeless Services in Pennsylvania

BLUE BELL, Pa., March 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh (FHLBank Pittsburgh) held an event today to celebrate $3.95 million in Home4Good funding awarded to programs across the state working to reduce homelessness.

Seventy-three programs from 69 organizations in the state received funding. Rep. Madeleine Dean (Pa.-4) joined the event at Montgomery County Community College, which is a partner in a project that received one of the Home4Good grants. The college – along with Gwynedd Mercy University, Manna on Main Street and four other supporting Montgomery County non-profit organizations – participates in the College Student Basic Needs Program that received Home4Good funding. The program addresses food and housing insecurity and other basic needs of college students. During the event, volunteers assembled college student care packages.

Joining Rep. Dean were Dr. Victoria L. Bastecki-Perez, President of Montgomery County Community College; Robin L. Wiessmann, Executive Director and CEO of PHFA; Winthrop Watson, President and CEO of FHLBank Pittsburgh, and representatives from a variety of public, private and community partners.

"The funding we are celebrating today is one of the important ways that Pennsylvania continues to help families find a place to call home," said Rep. Dean. "I am grateful that programs like Home4Good exist to help our fellow citizens get back on their feet."

"We are proud to partner with PHFA and our members to help Pennsylvanians find secure and affordable housing," said Watson. "Home4Good leverages the good work that organizations are already doing to help those across our state facing homelessness."

"Today we celebrate with some of the many partners who are helping our neighbors find shelter," said Wiessmann. "I thank FHLBank Pittsburgh and their members and housing partners for coming together to help Pennsylvania families."

"On behalf of the entire Montco Family, I am extremely grateful for the funding from Home4Good," said Dr. Bastecki-Perez. "This investment will directly help our students who face housing and food insecurities, while advancing the Student Wellness Inclusion Model as part of our holistic approach to supporting students."

Home4Good was created by FHLBank Pittsburgh and is co-funded and administered by PHFA with the support of FHLBank member financial institutions. The funding is distributed as grants to organizations that help individuals retain or find housing, provide supportive services to those facing homelessness or address other unmet needs within the existing homeless provider network. Home4Good is one of several ways that FHLBank partners with its members to provide needed funding and support communities.

Home4Good grants are supported by 105 FHLBank member financial institutions. Learn more by visiting www.fhlb-pgh.com/Home4Good.

About FHLBank Pittsburgh

FHLBank Pittsburgh provides reliable funding and liquidity to its member financial institutions, which include commercial and savings banks, community development financial institutions, credit unions and insurance companies in Delaware, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. FHLBank products and resources help support community lending, housing and economic development. As one of 11 Federal Home Loan Banks established by Congress, FHLBank has been an integral and reliable part of the financial system since 1932. Learn more by visiting www.fhlb-pgh.com.

About PHFA

The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) works to provide affordable homeownership and rental housing options for older adults, low- and moderate-income families, and people with special housing needs. Through its carefully managed mortgage programs and investments in multifamily housing developments, PHFA also promotes economic development across the state. Since its creation by the legislature in 1972, it has generated more than $15.9 billion of funding for more than 186,412 single-family home mortgage loans, helped fund the construction of 138,000 rental units, distributed approximately $191 million to support local housing initiatives, and saved the homes of more than 50,520 families from foreclosure. PHFA programs and operations are funded primarily by the sale of securities and from fees paid by program users, not by public tax dollars. The agency is governed by a 14-member board.

About the College Basic Needs Program

The College Student Basic Needs Program addresses the basic needs of under-resourced students at Gwynedd Mercy University and Montgomery County Community College in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The program includes online food shopping software students use to order nutritious food from Manna on Main Street in Lansdale and the Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities in Pottstown for delivery on campus. CSBNP also plans to construct a website for students to more readily access resources on and off campus; an affordable housing scholarship fund, seeded through the Home4Good grant, to provide on- and off-campus financial assistance; and research to validate whether these initiatives result in positive academic outcomes. Family Promise Montco, Montco Anti-Hunger Network and Youth Way Home Montgomery County also support these initiatives. Generous financial support has been provided by VNA Foundation of Greater North Penn, HealthSpark Foundation, Leo & Peggy Pierce Family Foundation, other private sources and the County.

Contacts:
Allison Karakis
FHLBank Pittsburgh
412-660-8176
[email protected]

Scott Elliott
PHFA
717-649-6522
[email protected] 

Aileen Walsh
Office of U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean
202-251-5643
[email protected]

Diane VanDyke
Montgomery County Community College
610-704-4786
[email protected]

SOURCE Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency