HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – Pennsylvania has many old homes in desperate need of repair whose owners can’t afford the fix. Governor Josh Shapiro is touting a program in his budget that would help, but can the state afford it?

Whole-home repair programs have helped people including Rick Seay, a Dauphin County homeowner who used grant money for repairs such as windows and gutters.

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This Week in Pennsylvania

The $125 million program funded federally has dried up, but the Governor wants $50 million in his budget to keep the program going.

“It’s common sense to upgrade our housing stock, to allow people to save money and cut their costs and stay in their homes,” said Shapiro outside Seay’s home.

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Homes once stately and historic are now old and need a facelift.

“It’s a real testament, I think, to the ancestors that built these homes because they are still here after suffering lots of neglect, but they need a lifeline,” said State Representative Dave Madsen (D-Dauphin).

In Dauphin County, requests for whole-home repair grants far outstripped resources. officials say helping needier Pennsylvanians fix up and stay in their homes beats trying to find affordable options.

“In a time where waiting lists are at an all-time high,” said Dauphin County Commissioner George Hartwick, “stock is at an all-time low and interest rates are higher.”

‘He wants to run for president’: Lawmakers react to Shapiro’s budget proposal

This is one of many high-dollar items on the Governor’s wish list. The Independent Fiscal office says the state is spending more than it’s taking in, a structural deficit, and Republicans will try to limit Shapiro’s shopping spree.

“They can’t use analysis as an excuse for paralysis,” said Shapiro. “Now is the time to act. And I would say to any lawmakers who don’t like an idea I put forth. Well, what’s your idea?”

Shapiro says lawmakers know programs like whole-home repair work and that people across the state need the money.

If the money gets approved, it would be state-funded but driven to each county to set its own criteria for who gets it and how.

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