FILE - Homes sit in Cranberry Township, Pa., on March 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

Gov. Josh Shapiro and lawmakers from both parties offered a slew of new proposals this week to tackle a critical lack of affordable housing in Pennsylvania.

Housing issues now share the limelight in Harrisburg, but problems with affordable housing and a shortage of available houses have been growing in recent years.

Lawmakers have held hearings and sponsored bills on housing issues since the COVID-19 pandemic wound down.

Consensus is forming on the need for several actions.

These include speeding approval of housing permits, expanding zoning from a long-standing focus on single family homes and encouraging more “accessory dwelling units” on the same lot as a family home.

The list of housing problems is well known.

Pennsylvania faces a shortage of 250,000 housing units by one estimate.

Housing costs are rising faster than inflation, while more than 1 million households in Pennsylvania spend more than 30% of their income on housing, according to the Shapiro administration.

Pennsylvania has some of the oldest housing stock in the nation. More than half of all homes are over 50 years old which makes repair costs a priority.

Nearly one-third of Pennsylvanians rent so the housing challenges involve controlling costs for renters too.

In his budget address, Shapiro proposed a way to generate state revenue for large housing projects.

He wants a $1 billion fund to pay for a range of large projects to build, repair and preserve housing, improve the energy grid and upgrade local government buildings as part of his state budget proposal.

The Pennsylvania Program for Critical Infrastructure Investment would be supported through state bond sales to investors. Specifics about how to split up funding and criteria for eligible projects have yet to be released.

The Shapiro administration describes the infrastructure fund as a flexible funding source for priority projects.

Shapiro called for modernizing the Municipalities Planning Code with the goal of planning for diverse housing and speeding local permits.

In his address, Shapiro referred to a bipartisan package of housing bills unveiled Monday by House lawmakers.

The package is supported by the majority and minority chairs of the House Housing and Community Development Committee so it’s likely to get traction. Senators are drafting similar proposals.

State Rep. Jared Soloman, D-Philadelphia, said there are too many rules limiting housing such as lot and parking restrictions.

He is drafting bills allowing for pre-approved housing plans, quicker permit reviews and providing state grants for locating housing near major employers.

Rep. John Inglis, D-Allegheny, introduced House Bill 2185 to allow duplexes, triplexes and quadplexes in areas designated for single family housing.

Rep. Tarik Khan, D-Philadelphia, introduced House Bill 2109, changing local occupancy rules so unrelated people can live in the same house.

Sen. Greg Rothman, R-Cumberland, said Tuesday that Republican senators are drafting similar bills.