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Lawmakers and agency weigh housing, LINC refresh and Aging Our Way PA investments
Summary
Committee members pressed the department on housing programs and the governor’s Aging Our Way PA initiative, including a $3 million request to bolster navigation and home‑repair support that officials say helps seniors stay in their homes and avoid costlier care.
Legislators asked how the governor’s budget would help older Pennsylvanians stay in their homes and improve housing stock for seniors.
Representative Mays asked about a new housing stock restoration program proposed in the governor’s budget that would assist eligible seniors with home repairs; the secretary said housing was the top concern identified during outreach to every county and described existing programs that pay for roofs and porch repairs and link older adults to community resources to help them remain at home. He framed housing investments as a tool to avoid more expensive levels of care.
Members also asked about the shared housing and resource exchange program (a collaboration with the Department of Human Services that currently operates in a limited number of counties). The department said the program helps match older adults with householders seeking companions or cost‑sharing arrangements and that funding constraints limit rapid expansion — the program runs in about 14 counties now but has shown success in rural communities.
On Aging Our Way PA and navigation systems, the secretary said the department is seeking funds to refresh the Pennsylvania LINC navigation platform and to invest federal and state dollars to build a network of navigators and support volunteer infrastructure. He described work already under way with a $1,900,000 federal grant to establish an Aging and Other Related Dementias division and caregiver supports; the department said the caregiver toolkit developed with those funds will go live in June.
Members asked for outcomes and timeline details; department officials said many initiatives are newly implemented but that quarterly outcome updates will be published and that more staff and navigators will be hired as resources allow.
