Every day in Blair County and across Pennsylvania, our first responders and educators show up for their communities. Police officers, firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, and teachers serve on the front lines — often quietly, always faithfully. They respond to emergencies, protect our neighborhoods, and shape the next generation. Yet too many of these dedicated public servants cannot afford to live in the very communities they serve.

That is why I strongly support the bipartisan HELPER Act (H.R. 2094 / S. 978) — the Homes for Every Local Protector, Educator, and Responder Act. This legislation would create a new FHA‒backed home loan program that eliminates the down payment and monthly mortgage insurance requirement for first‒time homebuyers who serve as first responders or pre‒K-12 teachers.

In plain terms, the HELPER Act gives our public servants a fair shot at homeownership. It recognizes that those who protect and educate our communities deserve the opportunity to put down roots in them.

The need is real. In Blair County, like many parts of Pennsylvania, housing costs have risen faster than wages. Young deputies, firefighters, and teachers often tell me they want to stay here long‒term, but the cost of buying a home feels out of reach. When the people we rely on most cannot afford to live locally, it becomes harder for counties like ours to recruit and retain the talent we need.

The HELPER Act offers a practical solution. It eliminates the down payment requirement for these hard working, hard-serving community servants–a barrier that keeps many of them renting indefinitely.

If they are able to scrounge up the money for a down payment, oftentimes they are priced out of the housing market in the communities where they serve. In law enforcement, this makes it harder for officers to immediately respond to crises as they unfold.

The HELPER Act would also remove monthly mortgage insurance premiums, reducing the overall cost of homeownership. And it does so responsibly, with an upfront premium to ensure the program’s solvency.

This is not a fringe idea. During the last Congress, the HELPER Act earned support from 178 members of Congress and endorsements from more than 600 national, state, and local organizations, including the Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association, the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association, the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association, and the Firefighters Association of the State of Pennsylvania. These are organizations that understand firsthand the challenges facing our workforce.

Nationally, the bill is backed by the Fraternal Order of Police, the International Association of Fire Fighters, the International Association of EMTs and Paramedics, and the EMS Labor Alliance. These groups are urging Congress to advance the HELPER Act because our nation owes the earned benefit of down‒payment‒free first‒time homebuyer mortgages to all the tireless men and women who hold these professions.

They are right.

In Blair County, we ask a lot of our first responders and educators. We ask them to respond to crises, to protect our children, to run toward danger, and to serve with integrity. The HELPER Act is a way for Congress to say: We see you. We value you. And we want you to be able to build a life in the community you serve.

This bipartisan, commonsense legislation is urgently needed. The bill is cosponsored by 13 members of the Pennsylvania congressional delegation, including U.S. Senator John Fetterman (D) and U.S. Representatives Rob Bresnahan (R), Madeline Dean (D), Chris Deluzio (D), Dwight Evans (D), Brian Fitzpatrick (R), Chrissy Houlahan (D), John Joyce (R), Mike Kelly (R), Ryan Mackenzie (R), Dan Meuser (R), and Glenn Thompson. I am grateful for their leadership and support. I encourage the remaining members of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation, Democrats and Republicans alike, to help move the HELPER Act across the finish line.

Our Commonwealth and communities are stronger when the people who protect and educate us can afford to call them home.

James E. Ott is the Blair County Sheriff.