(The Center Square) – As the housing crisis continues in Pennsylvania and homelessness continues to rise, policymakers are considering strategies to reduce barriers to obtaining housing.
In his budget proposal last month, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced a plan to seal eviction records that don’t actually lead to an eviction. As it stands, any eviction filing goes to a tenant’s record, regardless of whether the issue goes to court and what the final outcome is, a policy he says “makes no sense.”
“Let’s deploy our commonsense mentality and fix this together by sealing those cases from public records,” said Shapiro.
Records of evictions appear on background checks, which can not only impact a person’s chances of securing housing but can also compromise employment prospects, compounding challenges faced by many who are unhoused.
Advocates say that expanding access to eviction counsel could be a step in the right direction. A 2021 report from Regional Housing Legal Services estimated that for every dollar invested in universal access, there is a cost savings of $3 to $6.
In most eviction cases, landlords have legal representation while tenants do not. Housing services also emphasize the benefits of landlord-tenant mediation to keep people in their homes.
Shapiro posted a video to X in which Pittsburgh resident Haley Passione described her experiences securing housing with an eviction on her record.
“A landlord can file an eviction for a lot of reasons, whether it’s legitimate or not. We see landlords make mistakes – they’re human, too. They don’t always file because someone actually owes them money, sometimes it’s just an accounting error,” said Passione.
Even when evictions are legitimate, with federal funding for housing programs in peril, the pressure is on to find solutions to the crisis, which may mean a culture shift between landlords and tenants.
“When I am able to find somewhere where I have a good landlord, and I feel like they care about me as a tenant and take care of maintenance requests and things like that in a timely manner – I definitely want to keep that as long as possible. It makes it hard when you do have an eviction filing to be able to even find that relationship,” said Passione.
While requirements vary from landlord to landlord, many in Pennsylvania are looking for a clean background without evictions or criminal charges, a credit score of 650 or higher, an income of at least 300% the monthly rent, and first and last month’s rent for a security deposit.
The steep expectations combined with soaring costs of living mean that even families with steady employment can find it nearly impossible to find housing once they’ve lost it.
Many families are forced to move into hotels. In these circumstances, not only is income going toward room rental but additional funds go toward prepared food and laundry facilities without a kitchen or home appliances.
Making matters worse, people living in hotels or staying with friends don’t always meet the qualifications for homelessness that would grant them entry into assistance programs. Out of safety concerns, regional housing authorities prioritize those living on the street. Even then, beds and services have long waitlists across much of the commonwealth.
Last year, the state counted 14,088 individuals, or 11 per 10,000 people, who experienced homelessness throughout 2024, both sheltered and unsheltered.
Among them, 4,564 were in families with children and 690 were unaccompanied youth. 719 were veterans.
