The department is hereby authorized, within the limitations hereinafter provided, (a) to make capital grants in the furtherance of housing development and to assist the construction and operating of housing projects through the payment of such grants by contracting with governmental agencies or authorities such as housing authorities and urban redevelopment authorities, or with limited dividend housing corporations, insurance companies, or any other private, public or semi-public agencies, firms or corporations providing adequate surety, acceptable to the department, guaranteeing continuity of operation throughout the term of its contract, and (b) to make capital grants to redevelopment authorities in the furtherance of redevelopment, (c) to make capital grants to municipalities or to redevelopment authorities for the prevention and elimination of blight, and (d) to make capital grants to governmental agencies or authorities, or nonprofit corporations for the purpose of providing funds, which would be otherwise unavailable to initiate, apply for, administer, and execute housing projects financed under any Federal housing program, said housing projects to be built and operated in accordance with Federal law and regulations and shall not be bound by the conditions attached to housing projects pursuant to section 4(a), and said grant shall not exceed ten per cent of the total cost of a proposed project, and (e) to make capital grants to governmental agencies or authorities, or nonprofit corporations for the purpose of acquiring single family dwelling units which are in a state of disrepair, and to rehabilitate said dwelling units and to sell these dwelling units to persons or families whose income is not higher than the highest annual income level in the lower or middle third of nonfarm family incomes, and whose financial resources would be insufficient to purchase said dwelling unit after rehabilitation without the assistance provided by this act, purchaser's income to be considered insufficient in cases where more than twenty per cent of said income would be required for debt service to liquidate the mortgage; the resale price for the rehabilitated dwelling unit shall not be less than the cost of initial acquisition, nor more than the cost of acquisition and rehabilitation; programs under this subsection 4(e) shall not be bound by the conditions attached to housing projects produced under subsection 4(a), and (f) to cooperate with and make exchanges of the use of personnel, or funds with other departments, agencies, or instrumentalities of the Commonwealth in the execution of housing functions delegated to said departments, agencies, or instrumentalities by the General Assembly.

There shall be no discrimination against any person because of race, color, religion or national origin in the rental or occupancy of any housing constructed under the provisions of this act.