State Rep. Jeanne McNeill

$971,628 in funding from the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement fund has been awarded to community and government housing initiatives in the 133rd District.

The projects receiving funding are:

• $61,628 to Lehigh County for the rehabilitation of two properties in Whitehall Township, focusing on modifications that make the homes more accessible and maintain critical affordable housing stock for adults with disabilities

• $250,000 to Lehigh/Northampton counties to address the most critical housing needs for owner-occupied low-income households in the Lehigh Valley. Community Action Better Homes will incorporate energy efficient measures and partner with Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley’s weatherization program to ensure rehabilitation reduces utility bills and creates a safe, affordable and sustainable living situation for low-to-moderate-income households.

• $60,000 to Lehigh/Northampton counties to expand and preserve homeownership opportunities for low-income first-time homebuyers through the Community Action Financial Services Homeownership Counseling Program FirstTime Homebuyer Seminars and increasing the administrative assistant’s hours to full-time to build capacity in the program and serve more participants.

• $200,000 to Lehigh/Northampton counties to stably house 125 low-income households in appropriate rental units.

• $400,000 to Lehigh/Northampton counties to support the redevelopment of two blighted properties in the city of Bethlehem as well as aid the City of Bethlehem Housing Rehabilitation Program through a facade improvement grant program targeting exterior improvements to owner-occupied residences in the city.

The PHARE fund is managed by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, with its funding provided from several sources. The primary funding source coming from impact fees collected from natural gas companies operating in the state with the goal of addressing the housing shortage caused by the impact of drilling. The fund is supplemented with funding provided by a portion of the realty transfer tax.

State Rep. Robert Freeman

$429,205 in grant funding has been awarded to Hellertown and West Easton boroughs. The funding was approved by the Commonwealth Financing Authority through the Monroe County Local Share Account and Northampton Local Share Account programs.

The grants are:

•$206,990 to Hellertown Borough for park improvements at Dimmick and Authority parks.

• $222,215 to West Easton Borough for continued work on the Public Works Garage.

LSA funding is generated from casinos located in host or contiguous counties, and are designed to help economic development, job training, community improvement and public interest projects.

U.S. Rep. Susan Wild

Wild has sent a letter to Democratic leadership urging them to include Medicare negotiation power in the upcoming reconciliation bill. She is joined in sending the letter by 14 other representatives. The letter comes as Senate Democrats unveil their framework for budget reconciliation, including expansions to Medicare that include vision and dental coverage. The effort by Wild has the support of key drug cost advocacy groups, including Lower Drug Prices Now, Patients for Affordable Drugs Now, and the AARP. Read the entire letter at https://wild.house.gov/sites/wild.house.gov/files/Frontliners%20Medicare%20letter%207.14.21.pdf