Pennsylvania Act 1947-216 — ALLEVIATE THE HOUSING SHORTAGE

Act text

ALLEVIATE THE HOUSING SHORTAGE
                 Act of Jun. 10, 1947, P.L. 486, No. 216              Cl. 48
                                  AN ACT

     To aid in alleviating the acute housing shortage by authorizing
        housing authorities to provide housing for veterans, and
        families of servicemen, and to cooperate with the Federal
        Government for such purposes.

        The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
     hereby enacts as follows:

        Section 1.  It is hereby declared that an acute housing
     shortage exists in many areas of this State, so that families of
     returning veterans and of servicemen are unable to obtain
     housing, and that returning veterans are being denied their
     rights to education because of the lack of housing at
     educational institutions, and therefore a public exigency,
     emergency and distress now exists, and the providing of housing
     for such persons constitutes a public use and purpose for which
     public money should be spent and private property acquired and
     is a governmental function of State concern.
        Section 2.  Wherever used in this act the term "veterans"
     shall include any person who has served in the military or naval
     forces of the United States during World War II, and who has
     been discharged or released therefrom under conditions other
     than dishonorable; "servicemen" shall include any person in the
     military or naval forces of the United States who served therein
     during World War II; "families of servicemen" shall include the
     families of persons who died in the armed forces of the United
     States during World War II; "housing authority" shall mean any
     housing authority established or hereafter established pursuant
     to any act of Assembly; "Federal Government" shall mean the
     United States of America, or any agency or instrumentality
     thereof, corporate or otherwise.
        Section 3.  For the purpose of making housing available for
     veterans and their families or single veterans, and for families
     of servicemen in those areas of the State where sufficient
     housing accommodations are not available and private enterprise
     is not providing an adequate supply of housing within the means
     of such families or persons, any housing authority may:
        (a)  acquire real or personal property by purchase, gift,
     lease, bailment or otherwise, and exercise the power of eminent
     domain for the acquisition of real property;
        (b)  clear and prepare sites on which any such housing is to
     be located, and install streets, sidewalks, utilities and other
     necessary facilities;
        (c)  construct or otherwise provide housing or other
     structures that can be used as dwellings, and remove such
     housing that is of a temporary character after it has served the
     purposes of this act;
        (d)  operate such housing for the purposes of this act;
        (e)  provide or assist in providing transportation, where
     necessary, in order to enable the use of housing, where suitable
     transportation (based on the nature and extent of service and
     the rates), is not otherwise available;
        (f)  borrow money and accept grants from the Federal
     Government, the State or from other local agencies or other
     sources;
        (g)  comply with such terms and conditions as may be
     prescribed by the Federal Government in obtaining assistance
     from it for the purposes of this act, and
        (h)  take such other action as is necessary to carry out the
     purposes of this act.