Montco lawmaker proposes ‘equitable’ housing solution

Nelson authors CHAMP Act as ‘shift ... in services to our unhoused neighbors’

Legislation to make affordable housing more equitable is top of mind for state Rep. Napoleon Nelson.

The Democratic lawmaker representing the 154th District in Montgomery County is working on state legislation that would do just that. Known as the CHAMP Act, it seeks to restore a better balance between municipal and county governments, ensuring each municipality supplies a certain amount of affordable housing units and shelters for its residents in need.

“I don’t want it to be flashy legislation. I don’t want it to be eye-catching legislation. I want it to be what it’s supposed to be, which is a real shift in the way we provide services to our unhoused neighbors,” Nelson said in a recent interview.

Nelson, 44, said he took inspiration from a California state senator, who previously introduced similar legislation. While it did not pass through the state government out West, Nelson hoped for a more favorable outcome in the Keystone State, with the CHAMP Act laying a new foundation to create more accountability.

Classified as HB 2098, the state legislation formally introduced on Tuesday amends the existing Pennsylvania Affordable Housing Act to implement the “municipal housing obligation program,” according to the Pennsylvania General Assembly’s website.

Along with Nelson, the bill was co-sponsored by nearly two dozen legislators, with Democratic State Reps. Melissa Cerrato, D-151st Dist.; Nancy Guenst, D-152nd Dist., and Ben Sanchez, D-153rd Dist. as the Montgomery County contingent.

Rising homelessness

The legislation comes as the county grapples with rising

Rep. Napoleon Nelson