Rep. Summer Lee Receives Federal Housing Equity Award from Regional Housing Legal Services

October 8, 2026 Press Release Photos/Video (Dropbox) PITTSBURGH, PA – OCTOBER 8, 2026 — Congresswoman Summer L. Lee (PA-12) received the Federal Housing Equity Award from Regional Housing Legal Services (RHLS), joining housing advocates, nonprofit developers, legal aid leaders, and community partners from across Pennsylvania at the organization’s annual awards reception in Downtown Pittsburgh. Rep. Lee was recognized for her work advancing affordable housing and tenant protections in Congress and delivering federal investments for housing across Western Pennsylvania. “I am proud to receive this award, but this one belongs to the tenants fighting to stay in their homes, the families trying to keep a roof over their heads, the organizers, lawyers, advocates, and nonprofit developers doing the hard work to keep our communities whole,” said Rep. Lee. “In Congress, I have been focused on putting federal dollars and federal protections behind that work, from bringing millions home for affordable housing to fighting for legal representation for tenants facing eviction and taking on Wall Street investors buying up our homes for profit. Nobody should have to watch their neighborhood finally get investment just in time to be priced out of it. We are going to keep fighting until staying in the community you helped build is something every single family can count on.” Rep. Lee has brought millions of federal dollars home for affordable housing and community development, including $3 million for affordable housing projects across Allegheny County and $1 million to help convert underused office buildings in Downtown Pittsburgh into housing through her Community Project Funding initiatives. Rep. Lee also helped advance the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act , a sweeping housing package that passed Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support and included provisions to limit additional single-family home purchases by large institutional investors, support home repairs and housing preservation, improve small-dollar mortgage access, and strengthen protections for homeowners challenging inaccurate appraisals. When President Trump initially withheld his signature from the bill, Rep. Lee publicly pushed for the housing relief to move forward without delay. Her work in Congress has also focused on keeping families in their homes and preventing displacement. Rep. Lee introduced the Eviction Right to Counsel Act , which would help guarantee legal representation for low-income tenants facing eviction, and has fought to preserve affordable housing in historically underserved communities. Rep. Lee also helped reintroduce the Stop Wall Street Landlords Act , legislation aimed at ending federal tax advantages that help large institutional investors buy up single-family homes and compete with working families. During the event, Rep. Lee was honored alongside Pennsylvania Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato, State Rep. Lindsay Powell, and State Rep. Brandon Markosek. To view photos/video from the event, please click HERE. Congresswoman Summer Lee serves on the House Committee on Judiciary and the Committee on Education and Workforce. Since taking office in January 2023, she has delivered historic levels of federal investment totaling over $2.7 Billion brought back to Western PA, including over $580 million for infrastructure, over $110 million for affordable transit, over $500 million to keep clean energy manufacturing at home in Pennsylvania, and over $55 million on clean energy efforts in and around schools to help keep our kids and communities safe. These investments will help improve Western Pennsylvania’s infrastructure and transit, ensure cleaner air and drinking water, lower housing costs, fund research institutions, fuel clean manufacturing, fund STEM innovation and entrepreneurship, boost workforce development, and create thousands of good paying union jobs.  Lee and her team have also delivered casework and constituent services to over 4,000 constituents with issues ranging from helping our seniors and disabled community access Medicare and social security to helping folks secure housing and helping families with immigration support and passports.